Pipe Family Have Day to Die for With National Hero

As Comply Or Die crossed the line to win the Grand National under Timmy Murphy, he completed a remarkable father-son double, with trainer David Pipe adding to his father Martin's success with Miinnehoma in 1994. The victory also underlined 33-year-old County Kildare man Murphy's comeback from troubles with drink that led him to a spell in prison after an incident on an aircraft.

Murphy, who has outlined his darkest days in his book Riding The Storm, has emerged into the light, culminating in this most prestigious of wins in National Hunt racing. And he has been able to leave those troubled days behind. 'If you keep talking about it every day, you never go forward. I never reached rock bottom, as rock bottom is when you are dead.'

First and foremost, Murphy is a stylist, although he adapted his oft-used method of creeping into a race from the back of the field to adopt a position close behind the leaders, a tried-and-tested method for victory in the National.

As owner David Johnson, who retains Murphy to ride in his royal blue and emerald green silks, said in the winners' enclosure: 'He is a Timmy ride. He is a horseman and he showed today what a good jockey he is.'

Miinnehoma's National jockey, Richard Dunwoody, was of the same ilk and he once said of Murphy: 'He is the most lovely, flowing horseman. Of all jockeys, he is the calmest in a race.'

When that calmness translates itself to the horse and a Murphy ride comes off it is a thing of beauty, as he showed the crowd earlier in the afternoon when cruising to victory on Al Eile in the Aintree Hurdle. In the National itself, he did have to get serious on the run-in after jumping the last in the lead, closely pursued by Snowy Morning, partnered by David Casey, and King Johns Castle under Paul Carberry.

Murphy said: 'Always in the National, you are concentrating on getting over every one. We got over the last and I just had a peek and saw Paul and he is not the man you want to see. But I thought as we came to the Elbow, it was time to finish it.'

Those days in Wormwood Scrubs five years ago must seem an eternity ago in time and you can from his demeanor that he is a different man these days. Perhaps it was the fact that Pipe had told him he was riding 'a certainty' in Comply Or Die that made the confidence flow through his body. He is a horse who has had his down days too, like his jockey, and he suffered a leg injury that kept him off the course for a long time. Yet, like Miinnehoma, he possessed the perfect blend of class and stamina for a National, having finished second in the Sun Alliance Novices' Chase at Cheltenham as a youngster - Miinnehoma won that race in his time - and won the grueling Eider Chase at Newcastle over four miles one furlong on his latest outing. He was the first horse wearing blinkers to win since Earth Summit 10 years ago and only the second since the great L'Escargot lowered Red Rum's colors in 1975.

Unlike Murphy, Tony McCoy has been a teetotaler all his life, but the way his fortunes have gone in the National over the years, you would have thought he would be turning to strong drink to console himself. His very different style to Murphy's has brought him championship after championship but, as yet, an unlucky 13 losing rides in this race of races.

With shades of another National ride aboard the luckless Clan Royal, McCoy was tanking along on Butler's Cabin on the heels of the leaders for Jonjo O'Neill when the partnership capsized at the 22nd of the 30 fences, Becher's for the second time. That is still a fair way from home, but McCoy could be seen beating the turf in frustration and it was a fair bet at that stage that he would have been involved in the finish. As if to emphasise the champion jockey's ill-starred afternoon, he could have chosen to ride King Johns Castle, although a second placing would not have satisfied his addiction to the winning habit.

Another rider who could have picked better was Ruby Walsh, who was legged up on National great Hedgehunter, eventually 13th, ahead of stablemate Snowy Morning. That choice precipitated a gamble on the top weight, but not as much of a punt as that on the winner, who went off 7-1 joint favorite with Cloudy Lane. Trained by Donald McCain, son of Ginger of triple winner Red Rum and Amberleigh House fame, Cloudy Lane could never reach the leaders, but finished sixth of 15 to complete.

Slim Pickings, third last year, put his experience of the fences to good effect in fourth and Bewleys Berry again jumped beautifully in fifth. The saddest thing was the reported death of Mckelvey, last year's runner-up. He unseated his rider at the 20th and was killed when running loose afterwards. Two horses lost their lives in the Topham Trophy here on Friday and horses will continue to pay the ultimate price when taking part over these fences despite all the safety modifications.

But, on balance, jumping fans and horse people alike accept that the ups outweigh the downs of Aintree.

One of the big ups is when Al Eile wins at Aintree, as he seems to every year, with owner Michael Ryan and his entourage treating the crowd to their rendition of Dungarvan, My Home Town. Ryan, a larger-than-life figure, admitted to celebrating until the early hours the night before Al Eile's third win in the Aintree Hurdle. He must have been as confident of victory as Murphy, who always had his mount traveling well as he beat front-running Osana. As a curtain raiser for the National, it was hard to beat and the men from Dungarvan are sure to have had plenty of alcohol last night. Murphy passed on that, but was still the life and soul of the party.