Hero's return for jockey and horse of dreams

The 14-time champion jockey said he "always hoped" he would one day win the world's greatest steeplechase.

McCoy was accompanied by trainer Jonjo O'Neill, who said he had dreamed of winning the race since he was a child. The winning team's dreams were fulfilled on Saturday, as McCoy conquered the four-and-a-half mile course at Aintree, Liverpool.

With the final fences in sight McCoy, 35, from Northern Ireland, burst through for a fairytale victory as 10/1 joint favourite.

At yesterday's homecoming parade in Ford, Gloucestershire, near trainer O'Neill's stables, McCoy, 35, accompanied by his wife Chanelle and two-year-old daughter Eve, was greeted with rapturous applause.

Eve waved a banner with "my daddy's the world's greatest jockey" written on it, as McCoy petted the winning horse.

"I've been trying to win the Grand National for years, so to finally win it is surreal," McCoy said. "Don't Push It is the greatest horse, in my mind, and will always have a special place in my heart."

McCoy has had to wait 15 years to win the biggest event in the racing calendar, despite winning thousands of other races.

The betting industry reported losses of around 10m after McCoy's victory.