Racing: Futter's flutter leaves bookies in a fluster

Grand National: Geraghty partners third Irish-trained winner in five years to land a monster gamble for owner

When it comes down to it, the Grand National, as well as being a British sporting institution, is a vehicle for a gamble and few of those in recent folklore have come to fruition more gloriously than that riding on Monty's Pass here yesterday.

The 10-year-old's name became the 156th on the Aintree roll of honour and although the gelding, ridden by Barry Geraghty and trained in Co Cork by Jimmy Mangan, started at 16-1 and the placed horses Supreme Glory (40-1) and Amberleigh House (33-1) were outsiders, the bookmakers by no means escaped entirely unscathed.

But for one letter, Mike Futter, the owner of Monty's Pass, would have an entirely appropriate moniker. Blackpool-born, and now resident in Northern Ireland, he had backed his horse at all rates from 40-1 and in addition to his £348,000 first prize scooped some £800,000 from the satchels. William Hill were particularly hard hit, having laid the horse to lose over £393,000, the biggest successful bet on the National in the firm's history.

"I'm looking forward to collecting," said a gleeful Futter, who has a chain of bingo clubs in Bangor, Co Down. "I like a bet face to face – I like to see the whites of their eyes – but there were so many people here today that I couldn't get close enough to have a top-up. We'll certainly have a party to celebrate. Maybe with what we have won we'll buy a hotel and have it there."

The gelding's victory was the third in five years for an Irish-trained horse, and a first in four National rides for 26-year-old Geraghty, a former champion in his own country. His excitement at adding the supreme steeplechasing test to his CV was overlaid by his amazement at how easy it had been. Monty's Pass, one of a group of five who had drawn clear by the Canal Turn second time round, took the lead going to the second-last of the 30 obstacles and came in 12 lengths clear, ears pricked. "He travelled like a bird the whole way," said Geraghty. "I had a dream run the whole way round and the race could not have gone better for him. I was aware that there was a lot of grief, but we did not seem to be going overly fast and I took my time just popping along, quite happy sitting handy."

The first of many dreams to hit the ground was that surrounding The Bunny Boiler, who nosedived at the first. And any tears shed by the bookmakers over Monty's Pass were counterbalanced by the poor showings by most of the market leaders. Beforehand, the race had seemed deep in class but the perceived best dropped away with unusual rapidity. Chives, who broke a blood vessel, and Youlneverwalkalone, limping, were both pulled up at the 12th; Iris Bleu abandoned the chase at the water; Ad Hoc unseated his rider in a mini-mêlée at the 19th and the favourite, Shotgun Willy, who was never going well, pulled up at the back before Becher's second time round.

Gunner Welburn had lost the initiative as he stuttered into The Chair, but by Becher's on the second circuit the admirable former hunter-chaser was back in front, bowling merrily along in the spring sunshine ahead of Monty's Pass, with Amberleigh House close up, Montifault beginning to weaken, Supreme Glory staying on and nothing else in contention. But coming back to the racecourse proper, over the Melling Road, Monty's Pass was firmly in control.

"I was travelling great and took the lead from Gunner Welburn after he got in front again on the second circuit," said Geraghty, who could have partnered his Cheltenham winner Youlneverwalkalone but stayed loyal to the horse who had carried him into second place over the unique fences in the Topham Trophy last year. "When he began to weaken, I really got to the front sooner than I wanted. But he was going so well that I was happy to go on when I did. The only heartbeat came when he's stuck a short one in at the second ditch. I'd say 99 per cent of horses would have fallen, but he's clever as a fox. The whole thing was just brilliant."

Supreme Glory, whose strong suit is stamina, plugged on dourly under Leighton Aspell to claim the runner-up spot on the run-in, beating Amberleigh House by two lengths. The bold Gunner Welburn faded to fourth, followed by Montifault; last year's winner Bindaree; Carbury Cross; Blowing Wind, third for the past two years; Tremallt, who cut out the pace for nearly a circuit; top-weight Behrajan; Djeddah, Majed, Royal Predica and Southern Star.

Monty's Pass was a first National runner for Mangan, who trains only 15 horses at Conna, near Mallow. "This horse is our star," he said, "he has simply never let us down. He came to me as a four-year-old and he was really only moderate early, but the one quality he has always had is his jumping. Barry has always got on well with him, and when Youlneverwalkalone came on the scene I had a little worry that maybe he wouldn't be riding for us, but not for long."

The National was an eighth win in 47 starts for Monty's Pass, who followed the route to Liverpool taken by his compatriots Bobbyjo and Papillon in 1999 and 2000 by warming up in hurdle races. "He started giving us the right vibes a couple of weeks ago," added Mangan, "he was becoming electric."

Yesterday's triumph was no more than justice, for the teetotal 47-year-old, an all-round horseman, breeder, dealer and farmer in the best Irish tradition, bought Bindaree as a yearling and sold him on at two. He brought on Monty's Pass, a son of Montelimar, in point-to-points, and success in that sphere prompted his £35,000 purchase by Futter who, with a group of friends, liked what they saw on a videotape.

The sole fatality was Goguenard, whose death in a fall at the 19th was another cruel blow, for the owner-trainer combination of Trevor Hemmings and Sue Smith, who lost The Last Fling in the race last year. Iris Bleu and Youlneverwalkalone were the subject of positive bulletins from vets last night. Gerry Supple was taken to hospital with a femur broken in his fall from Burlu.