Four riders already know they will be in the winner's enclosure after the Martell Grand National.

They are the mounted police escorts, wearing special ceremonial uniforms, who escort the triumphant jockey and victorious horse to the area where unsaddling takes place.

This year's race will be extra special for PC Ray Bettley, who will be helping to bring in a National winner for the last time after working at the meeting 25 years on the trot.

Safety

Inspector Kath Calverley heads the 27-strong Merseyside mounted police section, and will be alongside Ray - with two other riders on grey horses.

Kath, who rides a seven-year-old dark bay horse called Jaguar, says the team's top priority is ensuring safety around the winner's enclousre as the crowds rush in to grab a look at the victor.

"We start off from the course and come back in all the way through to the winner's enclosure," she said.

"You can imagine all the cheering and jeering, especially when an Irish horse like Papillon last year, wins.

"We try to identify the owners and friends, and speak to the jockey. And virtually everyone else, we move out of the way."

Winning connections

The police officers are in the privileged position of being among the first people to speak to the winning connections.

And Kath says it is easy to share in the delight of a winner such as Papillon, trained by Ted Walsh and ridden by his son Ruby.

"His father was one of the first to congratulate him. That was quite emotional," she recalls.

It is Jaguar's first National. Kath's previous horse Imperial had to be destroyed.

But Imperial's police horse number, two, remains her lucky number - and that will be worn on Saturday by Papillon.