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Mr. Frisk, Amateur Jockey Capture Grand National

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From Agence-France Presse

Racing journalist Marcus Armytage on Saturday became the first amateur jockey to win the 4 1/2-mile Grand National steeplechase race since 1982.

Riding 16-1 shot Mr. Frisk, he ruined the 70th birthday celebrations of Arthur Stephenson by withstanding a late challenge from the trainer’s horse, Durham Edition.

Armytage and Mr. Frisk looked sure to be caught by Chris Grant and the 9-1 shot as they closed two fences from home.

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But the winning partnership, never out of the first three, dug deep for one final effort and it paid off as they squeezed home by three-quarters of a length in a course record of 8 minutes 47.8 seconds, beating Red Rum’s 1973 time by more than 14 seconds.

Mr. Frisk won $113,000 for Lois Duffey, the 83-year-old American owner who had a horse participating in the Grand National for the first time, and paid $27 for a $1.60 bet.

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