'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'

For one jockey every year, the Grand National is a source of fleeting glory in front of a global audience of 600 million people, a 12-month reign as the hero of Aintree and a coveted place on the roll of honour.

For the rest, the race will end in defeat and, if the steeplechasing gods are on their side, a rapid return to normality. For Paddy Farrell, however, there was no such luck, and his entry into the history books, however momentous, was born out of personal tragedy.

Paddy was the rider from Grangecon, County Wicklow, who, at the age of 33, took the ill-fated ride on a smart, white-faced chestnut called Border Flight in the 1964 Grand National. His mount was a nine-year-old, a 100-6 shot with a realistic chance of success, and the northern-based Irishman would have been feeling good about his choice of mount as he completed the first half of the race in exemplary fashion.