‘Course specialist’ Noble Yeats has a big chance – Waley Cohen

Noble Yeats, former Grand National winner and Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle contender – Image via @JamesStevens180 on X

Sam Waley-Cohen famously partnered Noble Yeats to Aintree Grand National glory two years ago and the now-retired rider sees no reason the horse can’t become the first since Red Rum to win the race, lose it and then win it again.

Waley-Cohen was given the perfect send-off two years ago, bringing down the curtain on a splendid amateur riding career by landing the National to go with wins in the Gold Cup and King George on Long Run on his stellar CV.

It really was a blockbuster tale as Waley-Cohen steered the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats to Aintree glory at odds of 50/1 in the colours his father, Robert Waley-Cohen.

Now, with champion jockey-elect Harry Cobden set to ride on Saturday, Noble Yeats is Aintree-bounce once more.

All the boxes are ticked

Noble Yeats has 11st 11lb to contend with this time around – meaning he’d be carrying more weight than any National winner since Red Rum won his second in 1974.

That isn’t putting Waley-Cohen off the idea he can climb the Aintree mountain a second time.

“It’s horses for courses and he’s a horse who likes the course,” said the man who partnered Noble Yeats to victory that day on what was his final ride as Britain’s most decorated amateur rider this century.

“There aren’t many horses who can stay the trip, jump the fences and handle the atmosphere as well as he can. It’s a massive plus and he’s shown he can do that.”

Cobden the man for the job

Cobden will be partnering Noble Yeats over fences for the first time in public, but he has got to know the horse as they won the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January and finished seventh there in last month’s Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival.

“Noble Yeats is a bit of a course specialist and he’s been running well this season. In particular, he’s a horse where you need to listen to what he tells you. You can’t be too forcing with him, you need to press when he’s ready to go,” he added.

“He’s so much ability you just need to conjure it out of him. Sometimes he needs cajoling and other times restraining, he’s a bit of a thinking horse. It also helps Harry’s had a couple of rides on him now because he’s a horse who does take a bit of knowing.”

Ground no worry, Rambler the one to fear

Winning a second Grand National proved elusive for a generation after Red Rum but, following Tiger Roll in 2018 and 2019, now we have Noble Yeats and last year’s emphatic winner Corach Rambler seeking to join the twos-club.

There were just eight and a half lengths between the two in last season’s race and Waley-Cohen expects both to have their say again.

“It’s not an original view, but I think Corach Rambler’s been showing how good he is. He’s been around there and obviously really likes it. It’s hard not to think he’s got a great chance. Racing needs some good stories and multiple winners are a good story, so that’d be a good result for racing,” he says.

Of the rain-softened ground expected in Liverpool, he suggests: “He’s run on all sorts, but he’s carrying quite a bit of weight, so on softer ground it’s more of a stamina challenge and that’s less of a plus for him. But then you can also wait a bit longer, which would suit him.

“He jumps well and if they go a furious pace it can happen a bit quick and you can’t turn it around, so it’ll help in that regard too. The ground at Aintree is so well kept it very rarely rides like winter heavy ground, so it’s not something I’d be overly concerned about.”