WELSH GRAND NATIONAL winner Adam Wedge is to take some time off to recover from his crunching Chepstow falls.
The hero jockey pulled off a miraculous balancing act aboard Secret Reprieve to land the big one.
But that moment of joy on the 5-2 favourite came after two earlier disasters.
Grade One winner Esprit Du Large flattened Wedge after falling at the final fence in the handicap chase won by Cepage.
And in the very next race he crashed to the turf once more on Clyne.
Wedge, 31, had to be patched up to ride the Evan Williams-trained superstar in the National.
And now the jockey has revealed he will rest and recuperate at home before returning to riding.
He said: “I’m still a bit sore, so I’m just going to take a day or two to let the body recover a little bit.
“I think my adrenaline kept me going through the day.
“But it would have taken a lot to keep me out of the National.
Wedge admits he is ‘sore’ following his crunching Chepstow falls
“Fingers crossed I’ll be back for the weekend.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to have won it. It’s unbelievable.
“It was a great training performance by Evan to get the horse there in such great condition.
“He’s got a little bit of class about him, he does travel very well and for a novice going into a race like that, he did everything fantastic.
“He jumped very well and hopefully it’s the sign of a very nice career to come.”
The fairytale finish could have ended a nightmare though after Wedge’s saddle slipped and his girth snapped.
It meant Wedge had to use all his balance and skill just to stay on the horse and stave off another fall.
But he did just that as the horse tipped for a big future in the Grand National at Aintree saw off The Two Amigos and Yala Enki to win.
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