Bookmakers were relived to see Sam Waley-Cohen and Noble Yeats gallop to an unexpected success in the 2022 Randox Grand National.

The seven-year-old, trained in County Carlow by Emmet Mullins, started at 50-1 for the Aintree showpiece as punters found more appeal in the chances of Ted Walsh’s Any Second Now, Charlie Longsdon’s Snow Leopardess and last year’s hero Minella Times, the mount of Rachael Blackmore.

Any Second Now and Noble Yeats locked horns on the run in to the line, but it was the latter who toughed it out under Sam Waley-Cohen to prevail by two and a quarter lengths – saving bookmakers from a significant pay-out.

Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Noble Yeats was a good result for the books as he wasn’t a horse that backers latched on to.

“Plenty of punters will be collecting from the placed horses with Any Second Now, Delta Work, Fiddlerontheroof and Longhouse Poet all attracting plenty of support, but we are certainly not complaining.”

William Hill spokesperson Tony Kenny added: “What a brilliant result with Noble Yeats and Sam Waley-Cohen winning the Grand National on the jockey’s final ride in the saddle.

“Their victory was an excellent result in the trading room with Noble Yeats one of the 40 runners who wasn’t fancied, going off at 50-1, and all in all it’s looking like being one of the top five best results we could have hoped for.”

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “As results go, this is certainly one of the better Grand Nationals we’ve had. Noble Yeats just didn’t prove popular with punters at all today, and after last year’s result, we have been spared another costly pay-out.”