Many Clouds wins the Grand National

Many Clouds has won the Grand National at Aintree for trainer Oliver Sherwood and last year's winning jockey Leighton Aspell.

Successful aboard Pineau De Re 12 months ago, Aspell was never too far off the pace and Many Clouds, winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury earlier in the season and sixth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, jumped with aplomb throughout.

For a long way it appeared Shutthefrontdoor could provide Tony McCoy with a fairytale second National triumph before his retirement, but he eventually weakened into fifth place.

Many Clouds tired from the elbow, but had enough in the tank to hold off Saint Are, with Monbeg Dude third and Alvarado fourth.

Many Clouds has won the Grand National at Aintree.

The Winners Bar at Aintree has been renamed in jockey AP McCoy's honour ahead of this afternoon's race.

McCoy, who will be riding favourite Shutthefrontdoor, has said he will retire if he wins on a record 20th appearance in the race.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers sounds like a man who knows his way around a racehorse. If you fancy him as a tipster for the Grand National, he's all over Portrait King.

Brian O'Connell will replace the injured Robbie McNamara aboard Lord Windermere in the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday.

The jockey steps in for the ride aboard the 2014 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner after McNamara sustained chest, abdominal and spinal injuries from a fall at Wexford on Friday.

O'Connell has previously ridden Tharawaat to finish eighth and last year was on board Quito De La Roque, who pulled up at the 21st fence.

Betting firm Ladbrokes has said today's Grand National race could be the worst ever for bookies as the nation gets behind champion jockey AP McCoy.

"A win for McCoy is our nightmare scenario", David Williams of Ladbrokes said.

The 19-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy appears in his final Grand National before his planned end-of-season retirement.

The Northern Irish jockey is 'very likely' to ride bookmakers' favourite Shutthefrontdoor as he goes in search of a second Aintree victory following his 2010 win with Don't Push It. McCoy is set to end his horse racing career at Sandown Park 25 April, but success in the National may lead the 40-year-old into early retirement.

The biggest betting day for UK horse racing has arrived as the world's most famous steeplechase race kicks off with 40 runners and riders racing over the four-mile, four-furlong (7.2km) course.

The Grand National takes places at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool. Possible runners include last year's winner Pineau De Re and 2014 runner-up Balthazar King, while Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere could become the first horse since Red Rum in 1975 to win the Gold Cup-National double