A HORSE owner from Eastington says she feels like she won the Grand National after toasting a sixth place finish in the prestigious race at Aintree on Saturday.

Daphne Du Pre watched on with delight as 33-1 shot Chance Du Roy finished high up the field, beating the likes of the much-fancied Monbeg Dude, owned by Gloucester stars James Simpson-Daniel and Mike Tindall, and earning connections a total of £13,200 in prize money.

The ten-year-old, whose victory in the Becher Handicap Chase at the same course in December tempted Du Pre and trainer Phillip Hobbs to run him, was amongst 18 of the 40 runners to complete the challenging four-mile, three-and-a-half furlong course, narrowly missing out on a place.

Retired Du Pre has owned horses since 1988 as a hobby, but has never entered one in such a big race before. She bought Chance Du Roy in 2007.

“I feel as though I won,” she said. “The jockey Tom O’Brien seems to like riding him.”

“We were terribly apprehensive. We just went on the wave and he kept going.”

“He’s just won one race nearly every year and started winning when he was three-years-old.”