ITV Racing star Oli Bell has promised there will be no ‘lunatic’ celebrations – even if he pockets £500,000 for winning the Grand National.
Popular TV host Bell is one of the owners of Two For Gold, a 66-1 shot for Saturday’s Grand National.
Victory would mean a share of half a million quid – a hefty sum even for top poker player Bell.
But he has revealed there will be no repeat of wild antics that accompanied a winner at Royal Ascot in 2017.
The Queen was rumoured to be the one behind that withering remark on Bell after he sprinted onto the track when Big Orange won.
Television duties mean Bell will have to keep his joy under wraps this year – at least until he gets out in Aintree later on.
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Bell, who has had three goes at the National before with The Rainbow Hunter, told Sporting Life: “It’s one of the greatest thrills in life to be able to have a runner in the Grand National, so I feel very fortunate to be doing it again
“But because of my role at ITV, every year I do the re-run – the replay of the race.
“That means being planted in the studio in the middle of the track so we can see the monitors and the different angles and everything like that.
“The re-run is obviously a very important part of the coverage as everyone wants to know where their money has gone and I’ll need to be in the studio from when the race is off until we do the re-run, which might be 15 or 20 minutes after the race has finished.
“What that means is, if Two For Gold were to win the Grand National, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the celebrations because I’d be presenting the replay!
“We’ll have to see what happens, but if he were to win and I’m not able to go into the winner’s enclosure, I’ll be giving it a good kick in Liverpool on the Saturday night to make up for it!”
‘DRUNKEN HAZE’
The Rainbow Hunter ran in three consecutive Nationals under trainer Kim Bailey from 2013.
Frustratingly, he failed to finish, unseating twice and falling on his last try in 2015.
Bell admits he was in a ‘drunken haze’ when he bought the horse, waking up the next day with a headache and ‘fairly expensive bill’.
But it has proved worth it to have a runner in the best race of all – and now all that’s left is to win it!
He added: “I’ve not stop thinking about winning the Grand National for the last nine years.
“This is what you’re in it for, isn’t it? This is why people buy these horses – everyone is trying the buy the dream.
“I do it because I love horses, I love racing and love the sport, but this is the iconic race that got me into racing and I imagined riding in as a kid when I was riding my rocking horse.
“I’ve been so fortunate that somehow the two horses I’ve been involved with at Kim’s have or will run in the Grand National, so I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.”
