I embarrassed myself in front of royalty following Grand National win after text landed winning ride

A Grand National-winning jockey has told how a simple text message was the start of an incredible journey that he is still on today.

Back in 2014, Pineau De Re came out on top and was the 25-1 winner, foiling the two most high-profile jockeys in the race, Richard Johnson and Tony McCoy, who finished second and third on Balthazar King and Double Seven.

The winning jockey on board Pineau De Re that afternoon was Leighton Aspell, who also made history by making it two years in a row that the famous Aintree race was won by a rider back from retirement. Ryan Mania was the winner the previous year.

READ MORE: Grand National 2024 sweepstake kit to print for free for the big race

READ MORE: What time is the Grand National? Runners, horses and odds for 2024

And now, 10 years on from their famous win, Genting Casino have reunited Aspell and trainer, Dr Richard Newland, to recall and relive that famous afternoon when they came out on top in the famous Steeplechase.

Kicking things off, Dr Newland recalls: “Sam Twiston Davies was our regular jockey and he had ridden over 200 winners for me, Sam was making a transition to join Paul Nicholls at the time and he had Tidal Bay, who was a third of the price of our horse, so Sam did the right thing and rode for Paul, which is wretched luck because otherwise Sam would have been on board of Pineau De Re. Leighton had ridden one or two for me that year, so he was a very good guy to go to.”

“I was on Richard’s radar for rides around that time, so I texted him, what did I have to lose? An hour later he texted me back, saying, ‘He’s yours’,” Aspell says on how he secured the ride.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing in the build-up to the race, as Dr Newland reveals: “We had the fright of