Mania on Moonshine this year

Not many outside the world of racing had heard of Ryan Mania this time 12 months ago, but after Auroras Encore sprang a 66-1 surprise in the Grand National, the young Scot was propelled into stardom.

Unfortunately for Mania, his immediate joy was short-lived as just hours later he was being airlifted to hospital after a shocking-looking fall from Stagecoach Jasper at Hexham.

No episode encapsulates the perilous nature of life as a National Hunt jockey more, but thankfully Mania was not seriously injured - relatively speaking - and has recovered from his back and neck injuries to already smash his personal best tally with weeks of the season still to run.

The canny Sue Smith snapped up Mania's services after the jockey took a self-imposed exile from the sport following the disqualification of Howard Johnson, and she too has enjoyed her best year for some time.

It might be stretching things to suggest the pair can follow up last year's fairytale, but Smith, ably assisted by no-nonsense husband Harvey, is sending two to Aintree, with Mania plumping for Mr Moonshine ahead of Vintage Star.

Mr Moonshine has valuable experience of the fences, being pulled up in the National last season but faring much better when third in the Becher Chase in December. And perhaps crucially he is owned by Douglas Pryde, Jim Beaumont and David van der Hoeven - just like Auroras Encore.

"It was my choice and I decided to ride Mr Moonshine. I just think with his experience of the course and the form he's been in, and of course it's the same owners - it's the right thing to do," said Mania.

"Vintage Star may well be the better horse but I think it could just be a year too soon for him, he's a bit immature and thinks a bit too much. Running in it this year might make him a man, though, and he could be ideal for next year. Mr Moonshine has been in great form and while it might look as if he didn't get home last season he's been a different horse this year."

Mania still struggles to believe he actually won the great race and admits it probably will not register until he sees one of his weighing room colleagues getting all the attention.

"If I don't win it this season then I think it might finally sink in as so far it hasn't really. If I see someone else getting all the plaudits and enjoying it then I might remember that I'm no longer the current Grand National-winning jockey," said the 25-year-old.

"He was my first ride in the race, I'd completed on my other three runs over the fences and got round each time, finishing second at the December meeting. Some people have said I've got a great record over the fences, but another way of looking at it is my luck has to change soon. Even this December I finished third and fourth over the fences.

"I'll probably get dumped at the first in the National!"

Auroras Encore was forced into retirement having picked up a serious injury at Doncaster in the Sky Bet Chase which means he is unable to defend his title but Mania is grateful he at least did not get injured at Aintree.

"Going there we thought he had the same chance as the bookies, he was 66-1. I knew he'd stay and thought he'd run well, but he'd not had a good season and the bad winter meant Sue had to be inventive with how he was trained," said Mania.

"It's obviously disappointing that he won't be there this year, but in a strange way it takes the pressure off - if something had happened to him at Aintree being a former winner all hell would have broken loose. People need to realise injuries can happen anywhere, not just Aintree and Cheltenham, but because they are the meetings everybody watches everything is blown up.

"The Grand National invites the world in to watch so from that point I'm just glad he can't get injured in it. This year we're going in with similar prospects, with a good horse who will be a big price but we're going to be able to enjoy it without the pressure of going with a former winner.

"You could say I had a fairly up and down 24 hours (after the National) but that's racing. It's a sport with incredible highs and lows but you certainly have more lows, that's why we celebrate the highs. The win has been a real springboard for us, we've enjoyed a great season but I've also had around 20 winners for outside yards and I think winning the National helped in that regard.

"Sue's horses have been in great form all year and that is down to the mild winter, I think. Usually it gets very cold up on that moor (in Bingley) and the horses can lose their form, but we've not had to break for the weather this year. The National helped us both, it gave the yard a huge boost. I'm 25 now and it came at just the right time in my career.

"It might be too much to ask to win the race again and if I did I think I'd retire on the spot!"