Sam Waley-Cohen: The Intriguing 2022 Grand National Winning Rider
Sam Waley-Cohen became the first amateur jockey to win the Grand National in 42 years when partnering 50/1 shot Noble Yeats to glory. Days before his 2022 National victory, the rider had announced it would be his final ride of his career. In front of a sell-out crowd and 7.5-million domestic television viewers, he bowed out of the sport in the best possible way.
Sam Waley-Cohen, aboard Noble Yeats, celebrates winning the 2022 Randox Grand National. ©GettyImages
Much has been said and written about Waley-Cohen since his Aintree heroics. There have been countless tributes – from people such as Richard Branson who described the rider as “a close family friend” – and some fascinating media reports about the man who turned 40 just a few days after his National triumph.
Waley-Cohen’s Fact File
A selection of newspaper stories has highlighted some amazing facts including Waley-Cohen’s declaration that horse racing has been no more than his “weekend hobby” for the past 30 years. Other interesting facts include:
- One of his earliest memories is of trying to ride the Grand National on a rocking horse he had at home. “I knew a few of the horses’ names and remembered them while I rode my own wooden horse and imagined I was in the race,” he explained.
- Sam became the first amateur in 30 years to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup when steering the Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run – owned by his father – to victory in 2011. He also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton aboard the same horse twice.
Sam Waley-Cohen poses for the cameras after partnering Long Run to victory in the 2012 King George VI Chase at Kempton Park. ©GettyImages
- He had come close to winning the Grand National before, placing on three occasions, most notably when second on Oscar Time in 2011.
- Despite the race being worth £1 million in total prize money and the winning jockey usually receiving around £50,000, Waley-Cohen received no percentage of the winner’s prize due to his amateur status. “I don’t get a share of the prize money as an amateur rider but I think a good chunk of it goes to the Amateur Jockeys Association,” he said.
- In 2015 Timeform, the respected horse racing data and rating organization ranked Waley-Cohen as the best jockey over jumps at Aintree – their assessment included professional jockeys!
- His 2022 Grand National triumph represented a record seventh win over the giant National fences. In 2014 he won the Becher Chase raced over three-miles two-furlongs and 21 fences.
Drive-by Dentistry
- One day in 2008, driving to a racecourse, Sam saw a lone dental practice on the side of the road and wondered by there weren’t any dental chains. When he later heard from disillusioned fellow jockeys and other friends of bad experiences under the dentist’s drill, he decided to make a business of odontology.
- In 2009 he founded Portman Dentalcare. It is now a £300-million business with 250 dental practices in five countries.
- To stay in shape, Waley-Cohen runs the seven miles from his home to his firm’s London offices a few times a week.
- He has been credited as playing a key role in getting Prince William and Kate Middleton back together after a brief separation early in their relationship. Sam went to boarding school with Kate and was a guest at her 2011 wedding. His brother, Thomas, who tragically died from cancer at the age of 20 in 2004, also attended Marlborough College with Kate Middleton.
- Sam rode in the 2022 Grand National with Thomas’s name on his saddle. He declared: “I think when you lose somebody you love and you lose them when you’re young, you realise to make the most of life and to appreciate it and to try and approach things with an open heart and a lot of spirit.”
Luck, Life and Philosophy
Waley-Cohen said about his great record at Aintree: “You need a lot of luck (over these fences), and you need to be on the right horses, and I think, relatively, I’ve ridden these fences a lot more than some of the other jockeys, and experience does help. Honestly, I think it’s luck. If you are on the right horse, and things go right for you or don’t go wrong for you.”
Finally, asked about his life philosophy, he said: “I just try to put a lot of energy into every day because you don’t know if it’s going to be your last day or whatever it is. It’s definitely made me want to make the most of the opportunities and thanks to that I’ve had incredible opportunities and tried to make the most of the ones that I’ve had presented.”
Noble Yeats will have a new jockey for the 2022/23 national hunt season and a potential attempt at a second Grand National. In the immediate aftermath of his 2022 triumph, the best Grand National betting sites quoted the Irish-trained horse at 20/1 for a successful title defence.
