AINTREE, England - He did not start in any kind of race until he was 5, and even then his first five appearances were in point-to-point, or amateur, races in Ireland. He was pulled up in the first two of those races, and finally won his fifth start as a 6-year-old in September 2020. Along the way, the Irish-bred gelding Corach Rambler steadily showed improvement, particularly over distances and never more so than this spring. After winning a handicap steeplechase at 3 1/8 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse in England for the second consecutive year last month, Corach Rambler won Saturday’s $1.24 million Grand National at 4 5/16 miles at Aintree Racecourse north of Liverpool in his first start in the famous steeplechase. The race was delayed by approximately 15 minutes because of police activity involving anti-racing protesters who breached two areas of the course. British media reported that several arrests were made. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic.  The incident kept the horses in the paddock longer than expected. Once on the course, the large field of 39 assembled quickly at the start with Corach Ramber at the head of the betting market. Corach Rambler ($18 in American pools) was the second public choice to win the grueling race in the last decade, preceded by 4-1 Tiger Roll in 2019. There have been five winning favorites this century. Corach Rambler won by 2 1/4 lengths over 21-1 Vanillier, who finished 4 3/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher Gaillard du Mesnil, a 9-1 chance. Corach Rambler was ridden by Derek Fox, who secured the mount earlier in the week after being cleared to ride following a spill at Wetherby Racecourse on April 6. Corach Rambler was favored by British bookmakers in mid-week, lost the role to Ain’t That a Shame in early betting on Friday, and regained the position as the leading choice as post time neared. Ain’t That a Shame ran 17th, the last finisher. Of the other 22 runners, there were four fallers. There were seven horses pulled up and 11 who unseated their riders. Hill Sixteen, who fell at the first fence, suffered a fatal injury. The Grand National is a handicap and Corach Rambler benefited from a light weight assignment of 145 pounds, well below topweight Any Second Now at 166 pounds. Any Second Now was pulled up. The win at Cheltenham last month pushed Corach Rambler to the fore of the list of Grand National contenders in recent weeks. Fox was aboard the gelding for the win at Cheltenham and rode in a similar style on Saturday, guiding Corach Rambler from well off the pace to reach a prominent position after three miles. Corach Rambler caught pacesetter Mister Coffey nearing the final fence before maintaining his lead through the 450-yard run-in from the last fence to the finish line. “He jumped and traveled all the way,” Fox told a national television audience. “I was no more than a sitting passenger all the way. He is the most wonderful horse and I was very lucky to get the ride on him. “I thought this horse could do it and I’m just thankful that I made it back in time as it was the thrill of my life to have ridden him.” Corach Rambler, a winner of 7 of 13 starts in professional races, and 8 of 18 starts when the point-to-point races are included, was the second Grand National winner for Fox, 24, and Scotland-based trainer Lucinda Russell. They teamed to win with One for Arthur in 2017. Corach Rambler, owned by a seven-person partnership known as The Ramblers, has won five steeplechases and two races over hurdles in professional races. Corach Rambler was purchased for approximately $23,400 in November 2020. The winner’s share of Saturday’s race was $620,000. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.