ENGLISH GRAND NATIONALCOMPLY OR DIE has a name that will be punned for all it is worth by all who regard the Grand National as cruel, but that apart, the Aintree powers-that-be can be satisfied that the world's most famous horse race on Saturday produced another evocative human story of beating the odds.
And as the David Pipe-trained winner strode past the winning line ahead of the Irish-trained trio of King Johns Castle, Snowy Morning and Slim Pickings, there was no doubting Timmy Murphy's position at the head of that story.
It's six years since the 33-year- old Kildare jockey's problems with alcohol led to an air-rage incident that resulted in six-month jail-term for indecently assaulting a flight attendant.
Murphy's already controversial career could easily have imploded but those six months behind bars at least allowed him the time to think about what mattered to him and also nurtured a determination to get back to what he does best.
Long before the weekend, Murphy's position as one of the leading jump jockeys around was proof that that determination had paid off. But for a man whose childhood daydreams revolved around Bechers Brook and all the other famous Aintree landmarks, a Grand National victory resonated with satisfaction.
"This would be the highlight of anyone's career. You only have to think of those who haven't even got around, never mind not won," he said. "David told me going out the horse was a certainty. I was a little worried he might jump the first a bit too big but it all went great."
If the Murphy angle dominated most of the headlines, then not far behind was the winning trainer David Pipe who in only his second season with a licence emulated his legendary father, Martin, whose sole success in the National came 14 years ago with Miinehoma.
Comply Or Die was gambled down to 7 to 1 joint favourite with Cloudy Lane (sixth) and Pipe Jnr said: "This looked a race he could win after he won the Eider. He deserves a break now and will be back for all the long distance chasers next season."
In contrast to the winning camp, emotions were understandably more mixed among the runner-up's connections.
King Johns Castle came closest to breaking the National hoodoo of the champion owner JP McManus, whose main hope Butler's Cabin fell under Tony McCoy at Bechers second time, but came up agonisingly short.
For his trainer Arthur Moore there was the satisfaction of finally saddling a horse to finish the race mixed with the frustration of having come so close.
"For a few strides after the line I thought he might do it but the winner had more reserves," Moore said. "Paul (Carberry) gave him a great ride and always had the leaders in his sights. Everything will be geared to coming back next year although that might have been his best chance."
Snowy Morning finished 10 places ahead of his stable companion Hedgehunter among the 15 finishers and his trainer, Willie Mullins, said: "Snowy Morning did everything I hoped he would. The winner was always going better but he will be back next year. Hedgehunter was never travelling and I didn't like the way he was moving."
There was one fatality in the race as last year's runner-up, McKelvey, unseated his rider at the 20th and ran loose before incurring fatal injuries when reportedly colliding with a barrier.
Since the Peter Bowen-trained horse's path back to Aintree was trailed for the past few months by a BBC television show, his death resonated to a wide audience and over the weekend the debate about cruelty and the National resurfaced again with the race attacked by some animal rights groups.
However, risk doesn't apply to just the horses and yesterday the veteran jockey Mick Fitzgerald was described as "comfortable" in a Liverpool hospital after reportedly suffering some back injuries when his mount L'Ami fell at the second last.
As a National winner himself on Rough Quest a dozen years previously, Fitzgerald will understand Murphy's post-race exultation. But the Irish jockey's stamp on National day 2008 was only emphasised by his earlier victory on Al Eile who won a third victory in the Grade One Aintree Hurdle.
Al Eile's victory was the sole Irish success at the three-day Aintree festival, a contrast to a record tally of eight winners in 2005.
WHERE THEY FINISHED
GRAND NATIONAL, £450,640). 4m 4f. COMPLY OR DIE (b g Old Vic - Madam Madcap) T J Murphy (7/1 jt-fav) 1
King Johns Castle P Carberry (20/1) 2
Snowy Morning D J Casey (16/1) 3
Slim Pickings B J Geraghty (10/1) 4
7/1 jt-fav Cloudy Lane. 40 ran. 4l, 1½l. (D Pipe). Tote: £8.90; £2.50, £4.60, £5.00. Exacta: £172.10. CSF: £148.57. Tricast: £2,268.11.
5th Bewleys Berry; 6th Cloudy Lane; 7th Nadover; 8th Baily Breeze; 9th Chelsea Harbour; 10th Mon Mome; 11th Hi Cloy; 12th Cornish Sett; 13th Hedgehunter; 14th Idle Talk; 15th Milan Deux Mille.
Casualties: 2nd fence: Black Apalachi, Backbeat, L'Ami (all fell). 3rd fence: Tumbling Dice, Iron Man (both unseated). 4th fence: Ardaghey, Fundamentalist (both fell). 6th fence: No Full (fell). 8th fence: Madison Du Berlais, Philson Run (both fell). 11th fence: Contraband, Kelami (fell). 17th fence: Point Barrow (pulled up). 19th fence: Vodka Bleu, Bob Hall, Naunton Brook (all pulled up). 20th fence: Joaaci (fell), McKelvey (unseated). 22nd fence: Butler's Cabin (fell). 25th fence: Turko (fell), Knowhere (fell), Simon (unseated). 27th fence: D'Argent (fell). 29th fence: Dun Doire (pulled up). 30th fence: Mr Pointment (pulled up).
