Born in Galway, Ireland in 1975 Graham Lee astounded everyone, when after years of relative obscurity, he won the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House, and then just two weeks later won the 28-runner Scottish Grand National on Grey Abbey. He also rode Amberleigh House in the Grand Nationals of 2005 and 2006 but without repeated success.

Lee had no horse racing background but was drawn to the sport as a result of living so close to the Galway racecourse, in the West of Ireland. His initial problem was the opposite of most jockeys in that he needed more weight rather than less, and the five foot six teenager had to adopt a high-protein diet in order to build himself up for National Hunt racing to a weight of nine stone ten pounds.

Lee rode his first winner, Blushing Pearl, in Navan in 1992 but it was almost a full decade before he achieved any notable victories. Then in the 2003 season he went ten weeks without a single winner, when suddenly he started pulling wins left, right and centre, including a four-timer at Wetherby.

He won no fewer than 94 wins from 625 rides, earning £1,356,423 in prize money and reaching third place in the jockey’s championship. Key factors in his new found success included his association with Howard Johnson, whose yard had been greatly boosted by the big-spending of its principal owner, Graham Wylie, as well as his partnership with Amberleigh House.

In the 2009 Grand National Lee rode Kilbeggan Blade who was highly tipped for an each-way bet but who, unfortunately, pulled up at fence 21. Who he chooses to ride for and partner up with in the 2010 Grand National could be quite telling because he is a great jockey and tends to pick horses that actually have a chance!

For all of the ante-post odds for the Grand National 2010 check out Paddy Power.