Grand National Reaction: Timmy Murphy, who is still on cloud nine after winning the John Smith's Grand National aboard Comply Or Die, says the famous triumph gave him an "unbelievable feeling".
Murphy, winning in the colours of his boss David Johnson for second-season trainer David Pipe, can now take his name off the list of great jockeys who have never won the National.
The Irishman was coolness personified on the nine-year-old and admitted that like many riders, it was the one race he wanted to win more than any other.
"It was an unbelievable feeling, just to complete the National you have done well, never mind finish in front of 39 other horses," said Murphy, who has suffered plenty of adversity in his personal life and served half of a six-month jail sentence in 2002 following an incident on a flight back from Japan.
"David Johnson has had a lot of bad luck in the race previously, as well as a couple of placed horses, but you need a lot of luck round there.
"There were a lot of horses going well, but that tends to happen more than it did in the past, it's good for racing to see plenty of runners with chances.
"I had a pretty good run, there were a couple of loose horses there from time to time but apart from that I had a clear run all the way," he told At The Races.
"Anyone who starts off as a jockey will tell you that the Grand National is the race they want to win."
For Johnson, it was also the realisation of a long-held ambition as an owner, but he admitted that losing a couple of horses in the race had tempered his enthusiasm somewhat.
"I'm a very lucky owner to have achieved most peoples life ambition, the Grand National is the race everybody wants to win but only a few can ever do it and I'm very lucky to have done it," he said.
"He had a leg and was off for nearly two years, we were very patient and let nature take its course. There is no quick fix, you have to take your time and David Pipe and the Pond House team have done that.
"He's run very well this year for us, he has come second and won two big races and I'm still elated.
"I've had some sad times but that is National Hunt racing, sometimes you make a spur of the moment decision which on reflection you shouldn't have made but more horses get injured at home than they ever do on the racecourse.
"I'm obviously sorry for the connections of the one horse who didn't get home on Saturday (McKelvey), but by and large Aintree put on a great display and the fences are much kinder to the horses."
Runner-up King Johns Castle will be trained with the aim of going one better next season. Arthur Moore's nine-year-old ran a fantastic race to get within four lengths of the winner after being given a patient ride by Paul Carberry.
He has run his last race for this season and Moore confirmed the great race will be his ultimate aim once again.
"I'm with him now and he's in great order, he got back in the yard at 7am," said Moore. "I'm very proud of him and Paul gave him a super ride, he is banging the door down now he enjoyed it that much.
"He really took to the course and I think he had a foot-perfect round pretty much. That's him for this year and I expect he will have a very similar programme next year to what he did this.
"It was a really good race and there didn't appear to be any hard luck stories."
Donald McCain believes Cloudy Lane's lack of size contributed to his defeat. The 7-1 joint-favourite came home sixth without ever really troubling the leaders at any stage, while stablemate Idle Talk ran a fine race for a long way before fading to finish 14th.
"They have both come home fine, but that will be it for the season now," said McCain. "After talking it over with Jason (Maguire) and Mr (Trevor) Hemmings this morning, he's just not very big.
"He jumped well enough but I think Aintree just took the sting out of him.
"Saying that he was still only about five or six lengths down at the second-last and even at the Elbow I thought he was going to run on for fourth, but he ran out of gas close home.
"He owes us nothing, he's run a blinder but obviously you get carried away a little bit by all the hype. He's a belting little horse but the frustrating part is it is going to be so much harder next year.
"We'll look at everything next year, I'd like to send him back to Aintree because he jumped so well but I don't know if that is a sensible option now with the extra weight he will have.
"He's up to the same mark that Denman won the Hennessy off last year but he's not a Denman, he proved yesterday that he is what he is, a good, tough, professional horse but that could be as good as he is."
Willie Mullins was also able to give his Grand National pair a clean bill of health.
Snowy Morning finished a gallant third, while National veteran Hedgehunter completed in his own time to come home 13th.
"We were much happier with Hedgehunter when he arrived home, he was a little bit sore after the race," said Mullins. "I'm looking to Punchestown with Snowy Morning if everything goes well.
"I think he enjoyed himself, he was none the worse after the race or this morning so we'll see how he comes out of it but we'll probably head towards Punchestown.
"He saw out the trip, he loved the fences and he's one to look forward to going back there again and again."