Silver Birch returns to a hero’s welcome

GORDON ELLIOTT, who has never trained a winner in his native Ireland and has held a licence only for about a year, was on cloud nine yesterday following the success of Silver Birch in Saturday’s Aintree Grand National.

The 29-year-old has just 30 inmates, “mostly pointers and young horses”, at his Trim, Co Meath base.

Said Elliott: “We thought he’d run a good race, but this is a dream come true. We only got the horse a year ago and sweetened him up in cross-country events and hunting.