Rule The World, a 33-1 shot who had never previously won a steeplechase and ridden by a 19-year-old who had not won over fences this time last year, clinched a dramatic 169th Crabbies Grand National on a cold and wet afternoon at Aintree yesterday to maintain the race’s capacity to produce a fairy-tale result.

The nine-year-old galloped home under a patient ride from a mud-splattered David Mullins, from the all-conquering first family of Irish jump racing, and stayed on strongly from the last fence, which he jumped in third, to beat the tenacious The Last Samuri by six lengths with Vics Canvas, the only 13-year-old in the race, eight lengths back in third.

The winner, the first novice to win a National since Mr What in 1958, is trained in Ireland by the popular Mouse Morris. Last May Morris, 65, lost one of his sons, Christopher, from carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping on a year out in Argentina.

“It’s magic,” said an overwhelmed Morris, who also won the Irish National last week and won a Gold Cup with War of Attrition 10 years ago.