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It will not be a century before the next French-bred winner of the world’s most famous race, the Grand National, but after last year’s success – the first for a hundred years – les Français failed to make an impact on the 2010 renewal.
Of the nine who took part the 2009 winner Mon Mome fell and only last year’s fifth, Cerium, and Piraya got home, 11th and 13th of fourteen finishers from forty starters.
Cerium, owned by Britain’s answer to Don Quixote, may return to the land of his birth for a tilt at the Grand Steeple.
Old Vic, sire of the winner (and the second), one-time Prix du Jockey Club laureate, returned home to Ireland after a spell in Japan.
In the opposite direction Toyota cars were recalled by their Japanese manufacturers because of faults: Old Vic had failed as a stallion.
Over jumps he has been a success – this was his second National winner after Comply Or Die.
“I don’t enjoy anything unless I’m winning,” said winning jockey (at his 15th attempt) AP McCoy, thereby giving away his credo and the reason for his outstanding success.
The result, victory on his boss JP McManus’s Don’t Push It, was one of the fables the Grand National invariably throws up – McCoy holds all the records for a jump jockey save, before Saturday, a Grand National on his CV.
Recognized the world over as the best jump jockey of all-time, the lazy fellow has no record in France. Within 24 hours of his lifetime's achievement McCoy (Anthony or AP please - not Tony) was back in the saddle at lowly Southwell - like a Tour de France winner cycling down to the local boulangerie next morning for his croissants.
Don’t Push It pulled up in a hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – the success stories from there were failures at Aintree, apart from Big Buck's.
The French-bred staying hurdle champion confirmed his position in the Liverpool Hurdle.
The son of Cadoudal was runner-up in the Alan du Breil in his youth and this seven-year-old has an unbeaten run of eight over hurdles.
He would be ideal for the French Champion Hurdle but his trainer has an animosity towards Auteuil.
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Frogwatch, by Rolf Johnson 
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