How to win the Grand National - according to double champion Ruby Walsh
EXCLUSIVE: Double Grand National-winning jockey Ruby Walsh sat down with the Daily Express to give us his inside tips on how to win the world's greatest steeplechase. And we even tried out an Equicizer mechanical horse used to train jockeys, to get a feel for what its like in the saddle of a winning steed.
Ruby, 44, is one of four veteran Grand National-winning jockeys - including Mick Fitzgerald, Barry Geraghty and AP McCoy - to be used by Aintree to brief jockeys on how to best master the unique 30-fence race.
On Thursday Ruby, who won it twice on Papillon in 2000 and Hedgehunter in 2005, sat the Daily Express to give us his inside knowledge on how to not only finish - but cross the winning line first.
And he crucially explained his one-to-one jockey briefings using data and video evidence are to advise those riding the four-and-a-half mile epic the best way to achieve success.
He told us: "The briefing used to be done early in the day by the stewards but like all things the race has evolved and the briefing has evolved too. So Aintree approached a few ex-riders a couple of years ago to see if we could do the briefing.
"Rather than tell them what they should do - we went for the simple approach of education people.
"We gathered as much data from the last 10 Grand Nationals as far as 2012 when the core to the fences were changed - data on position of the finishers, where each winner was during the race, where horses were who ended up not even finishing.
"For example, we found only two horses who were the first to jump Becher's Brook, on the first circuit, ended up in the top three of the finishers. So going fast early does not help you.
"Getting into tight groups lessens your chances to win - we want the horses not to bunch as much. Space is what helps you win a Grand National. You ride for a half-moon of room in front of you all the time.
"We teach the jockeys through stats and videos, showing footage from all angles they may never have seen before.
"The winners over the years may not be in the same places during each race but they tend to be not far from the front and have found pockets of space for themselves away from the other horses.
"Unlike others sports like football and managers like Pep Guardiola, jockeys don't have statisticians to give them all this data. So we thought give every jockey as much information and give them an equal chance."
Ruby explained that his own father Ted Walsh would sit him down and use BBC footage of old Grand Nationals in 1999 to help him win his first National first time round, on Papillon aged just 20.
Between Thursday and Saturday Ruby, McCoy, Geraghty and Fitzgerald will sit down with eight to nine jockeys each one-to-one to give them tips and advice.
He added: "I watched lots of Grand Nationals before I ever rode in one with the help of my dad. He sat me down the week before I won on Papillon and we watched endless Grand Nationals!"
For instance Ruby told how helicopter footage of last year's race showed how most horses converged to the inside of the track but ended up leaving them starved of space and failed to do as well.
Asked what is the biggest obstacle to winning Ruby quipped "the 30 fences!" But he gave our readers his own hot tip for the big 4pm Saturday race: "Capodanno - I love that horse."
Explaining what makes the race so unique he said: "You can get the best horse in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and if you win your reaction is one of achievement.
"But you watch the expression of jockeys winning the Grand National and their reaction is surprise because it's such difficult race you always think winning it is unobtainable."
