LAST Saturday's Grand National turned out to be an unforgettable triumph for a jockey with strong local connections.

Graham Lee, having only his second National ride, took the winning honours with a nail-biting victory on Amberleigh House.

The 28-year-old Irishman, who rides regularly for Ryedale trainers such as Malcolm Jefferson, Brian Ellison and James Hetherton, and who won a valuable race earlier this season at Cheltenham for Peter Beaumont, was almost lost for words after clinching a thrilling victory in the world's most famous steeplechase.

Lee, who lives near Stockton, described Saturday as "the best day of my life by a long, long way" and even earlier this week, the impact of what he'd achieved had still not fully registered.

"It hasn't really sunk in, even now," he admitted on Monday. "It just doesn't get any better than that. It was the most amazing feeling. I just feel very lucky to have experienced it."

The luck was with Lee throughout the first half of the race, when he was forced to chart a survival route on Amberleigh House to avoid fallers and loose horses.

"I got such a bad run down over the first three or four fences that 'Plan A' quickly went out of the window.

"Going to Becher's the first time, I thought he was going to refuse, because he had hardly any room to take off, and he ended up jumping it from a virtual standstill.

"Not many horses would have done that, but he managed it, even though it gave him a hell of a fright."

At the rear of the field at that stage, Lee was forced to ride the classic waiting race as the leaders took the field along at a furious gallop.

"I can't say I was ever confident that we'd ever get back into the race. It was just a question of sticking to it. Amberleigh House is just so gutsy, and so sure-footed, he gave me a brilliant ride. All the way round, I was talking to him."

Quite what he was saying at the final fence, as the leaders began to toil and Amberleigh House was staying on in relentless fashion remains a secret between horse and jockey but, at the line, history was made. Amberleigh House, a 16-1 shot, trained by Ginger McCain of Red Rum fame, prevailed by three lengths from Clan Royal, with two lengths further back to Lord Atterbury, and a further 29 lengths back to last year's winner, Monty's Pass.

Lee, who blessed himself immediately after crossing the line, said: "I just couldn't believe we'd won. I was numb."

As a footnote to the great race, Graham Lee had still not had a chance to re-live his greatest moment of glory in the two days afterwards. His wife Becky, in setting the video at home, had, disastrously, tuned it into the wrong channel.

"When I went to watch it, what should have been the Grand National was an old black-and-white film, which was being shown on a different channel," revealed Lee, who joked. "It was nearly grounds for divorce!"

Thankfully, he was soon in possession of the longed-for item.

Wendy Jackson, secretary to Mick Easterby, had taped the entire proceedings - build-up, race and full slow-motion replay - on behalf of the Malton Racing Association Grand National Ball on Saturday night.

On hearing of Graham Lee's loss, she quickly retrieved the tape and popped it in the post - making one Grand National-winning jockey an even happier man!

Updated: 11:35 Wednesday, April 07, 2004