Meet the young trainer 'living the dream' with a Grand National contender - before he's had even a single winner over jumps

It is 91 years since Newmarket last housed the winner of next month’s Randox Grand National – and the horse in question was the legendary Golden Miller, who was stabled at nearby Exning when successful in 1934.

Coincidentally, it was in this village that relatively new trainer Michael Keady first tried to get on the property ladder last year, which was a rollercoaster story of its own even before he was handed a contender for the world’s most famous race only three weeks ago.

Keady’s backer, Scotsman Jim Gill, took a punt on the Willie Mullins chaser Horantzau D’Airy at 50,000gns at a Tattersalls online sale on March 3 and the trainer drove over to County Carlow himself to pick up the eight-year-old.