When the nation went mad for Katie but Seabass had no answer to 66-1 Encore

After years of largely being confined to riding longshots and no-hopers in the race, the arrival of Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh on the scene greatly elevated the prospects of a woman winning the Grand National.

When Walsh and Seabass led over the last in 2012 – in what was a first attempt at the race for both horse and jockey – it was as 8-1 co-favourites.

Having finished just five lengths back in third, the pair were guaranteed to be the major story line for the general media when the countdown began in earnest to the 2013 National, despite Walsh's protestations a week before the race that "he's a year older and he's got eight more pounds on his back".

On Grand National morning both Ladbrokes and William Hill opened up with five co-favourites at 12-1 and there was uncertainty as to whether the ten-year-old Seabass would even start shortest of the duo trained by Ted Walsh, given another public favourite in Tony McCoy would be aboard Colbert Station.

But by 9am Seabass had emerged as clear 8-1 favourite and two hours later Coral were reporting one of the biggest National gambles since the days of Red Rum, with Seabass their 7-1 market leader and spokesman Simon Clare predicting he would continue to shorten.

Nor was this just a case of bookmakers taking advantage of unwary folk who would be prepared to back Walsh's mount at any price.

Around the same time as Clare's prediction, Betfair reported the duo's win-only exchange price was 9.8 from 13.0, as for once the professionals appeared to be in sync with the public plunge.

Often the market moves of Grand National morning can become a distant memory as off time approaches but the money just kept coming for Walsh, as Hills revealed liabilities in excess of £2 million on the one result they truly feared.

Nimble footwork: Seabass and Katie Walsh get in tight to the ChairCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

By the time the tapes rose at 4.15, Seabass was trading at 11-2, making him one of the shortest-priced favourites in modern times at the head of the most lopsided market since Hedgehunter and Clan Royal were both sent off at 5-1 in 2006.

Walsh always had the leaders in her sights but was almost the meat in a sandwich between Tarquinius and Swing Bill jumping the one before Becher's second time and from there on it always looked an uphill struggle.

Seabass gave his supporters one last roar as Walsh drove him after the leaders running to two out but he was a spent force jumping the last and she allowed him to come home in his own time, crossing the line 13th of 17.

With a 66-1 winner in Auroras Encore to celebrate, Betfred supremo Fred Done was arguably speaking for every bookmaker when he said: "It was a grand result as we avoided a national gamble on Seabass that would have cost the industry more than a drop in the ocean."

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