It took Silver Birch, the 10-yer-old, Gordon Elliott trained gelding just 9 minutes 13.60 seconds to complete and win the four and a half mile Aintree Grand National in 2007. This was an incredible feat given that just two years earlier a leg injury had precipitated a downward spiral that saw a virtual halt to a once promising career.

He was despatched to Doncaster Sales after his Aintree tumble, but Irishman Brian Walsh purchased him for 20,000 guineas and sent him to trainer Gordon Elliott’s small yard in Trim, County Meath to patch him up.

By 2007 Walsh and Elliott, who at 26 and 29 respectively were the youngest owner and trainer to send out a runner, had him back in fighting form and ready for the race of his life. He slipped under the radar of the bookies who still perceived him to be a shadow of his former glory days and was sent off as one of nine horses deemed the joint 15th choice in the betting.

Point Barrow started the race as 8/1 co-favourite alongside Monkerhostin and Joes Edge but he made it no further than the first fence. Monkerhostin fared little better but refused at the seventh (Foinavon), while Joes Edge was pulled up before the 20th.

Robbie Power took the ride on Silver Birch, who was handily weighted on his best form with 10st 6lb and had moved through to take a prominent position by the 12th fence. But he had competition for the lead, while approaching the third last, from Barry Geraghty who was aboard fellow Irish horse Slim Pickings.

But a mistake by Geraghty’s mount at the last fence gave Power and Silver Birch the break that was needed to the charge to the line. Slim Pickings tried in vain to get back on terms but a new challenge emerged after the famous ‘elbow’ as Tom O’Brien drove Welsh-trained McKelvey in hot pursuit.

McKelvey was well-supported at 12/1 and had the crowd roaring as he surged wide of Silver Birch but the last ditch attempt was too little too late and it was Power and Silver Birch who took the most valuable prize in jump racing by three quarters of a length.

Slim Pickings was third at 33/1, the Nick Williams-trained mud-lover Philson Run stayed on to take fourth at 100/1 under John Smith’s Grand National debutant Daryl Jacob, while another first-timer, amateur Sam Waley-Cohen, enjoyed a dream ride to finish fifth aboard his father’s mare Liberthine at 40/1.

Perfect conditions at Aintree contributed to the fact that 30 of the 40-strong field were still standing with a circuit to race, with 12 crossing the finish line, including the past two winners, Hedgehunter and Numbersixvalverde, who finished ninth and sixth respectively.