Irish Examiner view: Smiles after Grand National victory

The feelgood story of the week has been the 50-1 victory of Carlow-trained winner Noble Yeats

Noble Yeats and Sam Waley-Cohen after their win for trainer Emmet Mullins. Picture: Healy Racing

The feelgood story of the week has been the 50-1 victory of Carlow-trained Grand National winner Noble Yeats and his triumphant return to Leighlinbridge put a smile on everyone’s face.

Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen had to forsake his share of the €600,000 purse because he is an amateur, the first to win the race for 32 years. And he will be even further out of pocket by fulfilling his pledge to fix the teeth of stable lad Mick Molloy. Waley-Cohen is a highly successful dentist with more than 4,000 staff in practices across Ireland, the UK, and the Benelux countries.

Irish legends were a subject of compelling interest to our great poet WB Yeats, and now he has one in his own name. Just as in the poem by Yeats, jockey and steed have “mastered the brute blood of the air” and coupled “his knowledge with his power”.