David Maxwell described riding in this year’s Randox Grand National as “better than anything I could ever have dreamed of” after finishing sixth on Ain’t That A Shame at Aintree.

Seventeenth in the hands of Rachael Blackmore when fancied for the race in 2023, the Henry de Bromhead-trained 10-year-old returned to Liverpool for a second crack at the world’s most famous steeplechase having been purchased by the property developer to fulfil his long-held ambition of riding in the National.

Sent off at 40-1, the Thyestes Chase scorer was still in contention at the second last, with the 45-year-old admitting for one brief second he allowed himself to dream of joining the decorated list of amateur pilots to win the National.

“It was way better than anything I could ever have dreamed of and there was no way I could ever have dreamed of still being in touch at the Melling Road with two to jump,” said Maxwell.

“You look around and there were plenty of good horses who had cried enough and although there were still plenty of good horses going well, my fella was going as well as anything at that point.

“I just looked around and thought I was exactly where I wanted to be and then I looked around again and thought there are still a lot of horses still cruising here. After that I was aiming to get home and see if I could get in the first six.

“The National now is such a grade of race that you’ve basically got Gold Cup horses running in front of you and proper graded horses running in a handicap.”

Maxwell is no stranger to competing over the Grand National fences and has finished on the podium on four occasions in the amateurs-only Foxhunters’. But his first experience of going an extra circuit in the famous Aintree marathon more than lived up to his expectations.

“It was some thrill and I said to the agent afterwards that if he had put another zero on the price it would have been worth it,” continued Maxwell.

“He’s a lovely horse and he made one mistake the whole way round at the second fence after the Canal Turn. He went down to Canal Turn with me just leaving him alone – pop, pop, pop – and then I suddenly thought I was getting the hang of it and could see a stride, I went ‘one, two’ and he went three and ploughed through it.

“His ears were stuffed with cotton wool so he wouldn’t have heard me, but I said ‘sorry about that lad, I won’t do it again’. From then on I just left him to it and he’s an absolute pro.”

Some had questioned the owner-rider’s participation in the race in the build-up, with Maxwell himself pointing out an online poll had come down in favour of him sitting out the race.

With that in mind, he was conscious of his responsibility to both the famous race and his amateur colleagues, desperate not to give the naysayers opportunity to dispute amateur participation that has long been part of the fabric of the Grand National.

“It is important that I’m safe and that was my only nervousness,” explained Maxwell.

“I wasn’t nervous about riding round the course, I was nervous about making a mistake on a very big stage and it is really important that I did a good, professional job so no one could say we need to examine amateur participation or conditional jockeys in the National.

“The thing people like about these National races is the element of chance. They are big-field handicaps and you could quite comfortably get 50-1 and 100-1 winners and when you add amateurs into the mix, there’s an extra element of chance.

“So it is important that the amateur element is not taken out because of incompetence. Being amateur is OK but being incompetent is not and you have to be competent.”

Maxwell also gave his seal of approval to the array of alterations to the race which led to no fallers and the highest number of finishers since 2005.

“It was great for racing to get 32 horses home safely and 21 finishers,” said Maxwell.

“I thought they did the right thing reducing the field size but having ridden in it, I think they could maybe try 36, I think that would be fine. It probably did just give that little bit extra room on the racecourse and at no point did it feel crowded apart from Canal Turn when everyone bunches up in the corner – there was plenty of room out there.

“They have done a brilliant job with that course and it is still a spectacle. When people say the fences are soft they are just wrong. Cat Tiger who is a very good jumper, he has a tendency to rattle one on his way round and he rattled the fifth and I came off. They still need jumping, it’s not a cake walk and fences like the Canal Turn are always going to be quite technical, jumping and turning 45 degrees at racing pace.

“I think the changes were good and the race is still a spectacle which it needs to be and it needs to be safe. We went a sensible speed out there on Saturday and I think the real winner was racing.”

Well and truly bitten by the Grand National bug, attentions now turn to returning to Merseyside with Ain’t That A Shame in 12 months time, via a prep over the famous spruce in the Becher Chase in December.

Maxwell is also ambitiously plotting to break Dick Saunders’ long-held record and become the race’s oldest winning jockey.

“One hundred per cent we’re going back next year. It will be Becher Chase, Thyestes Chase, Grand National,” said Maxwell.

“The oldest winner of the National was 48 and I need to get a few more years experience in before I can think of winning it. If I aim to win it in 2028 then I will be 49. Then I would be the oldest winner of the National!

“When any National horse is coming up for sale from now on, I’m buying it!”

Jackson Holliday collected his first major league hit and scored the go-ahead run to help the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Holliday, the No. 1 pick of the 2022 MLB draft, was part of a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning that enabled the Orioles to prevent Milwaukee from sweeping the three-game series.

The 20-year-old infielder had gone 0 for 13 with nine strikeouts to begin his major league career before recording a single in the seventh.

Former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes did not factor in the decision in his first meeting against his ex-team since being traded to Baltimore in the offseason. The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs - two earned - while striking out five in five innings.

Blake Perkins' solo homer in the top of the seventh gave Milwaukee a 4-3 lead that turned out to be short-lived, as Jordan Westburg, Holliday and Gunnar Henderson all singled off reliever Abner Uribe in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.

Holliday advanced to third on Henderson's run-scoring hit before crossing the plate on a double-play grounder off the bat of Adley Rutschman.

Colton Cowser's solo homer in the eighth gave Baltimore some insurance before Craig Kimbrel stranded two runners in a scoreless ninth to earn his third save of the season.

Burnes was greeted by a leadoff homer from William Contreras in the top of the first inning, though the Orioles answered in their half when Henderson was hit by a pitch by Milwaukee starter Colin Rea and later scored on Ryan O'Hearn's single.

Cedric Mullins' homer off Rea in the second put Baltimore up 2-1, and O'Hearn sent the Orioles back ahead with a solo shot in the third after the Brewers scratched home a run in the top of the inning. 

Burnes couldn't protect the 3-2 lead, though, as the Brewers put two on in the fourth before Brice Turang put down a bunt that brought in a run when the Baltimore right-hander threw wildly to first base to allow Willy Adames to score.

Perkins went 3 for 4 with two runs scored for Milwaukee. Rea lasted 5 2/3 innings and was reached for three runs while striking out six.

Rays slug four homers to spoil Snell's return to Tampa Bay

Rene Pinto drove in four runs and had two of four Tampa Bay homers as the Rays spoiled Blake Snell's return to Tropicana Field with a 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. 

Snell was tagged for seven runs in four innings in his second straight lacklustre start since joining the Giants as a free agent in the offseason. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was making his first appearance at Tropicana Field since being traded by the Rays to the San Diego Padres in December 2020.

The 31-year-old pitched five seasons for Tampa Bay and won the American League's Cy Young Award after going 21-5 with the Rays in 2018.

Snell took the mound with a 1-0 lead after the Giants scored once in the top of the first inning, but the left-hander was greeted by a leadoff double from Yandy Diaz and a one-out single by Randy Arozarena that quickly tied the game.

Two batters later, Amed Rosario homered to left to give Tampa Bay a 3-1 advantage.

Isaac Paredes' two-out RBI single off Snell in the third increased the Rays' margin, and Snell issued two walks in the fourth before Pinto launched a three-run homer to center to extend the lead to 7-1.

Tyler Fitzgerald doubled in the top of the sixth and scored on Jorge Soler's single to get the Giants closer, though Pinto answered in the bottom of the inning with his second homer of the day.

A solo homer by San Francisco's Michael Conforto in the seventh was countered by Paredes' solo blast in the Rays' half of the inning as Tampa Bay took a 9-3 lead into the eighth.

Fitzgerald finished 2 for 4 and knocked in the Giants' final run with a triple in the ninth.

Tyler Alexander picked up the win after allowing two runs across six innings in relief of opener Shawn Armstrong, who permitted one run in two innings.

Guardians rally for three runs in 10th to stun Yankees

Andres Gimenez's sacrifice fly capped a stunning 10th rally as the Cleveland Guardians avoided a series sweep by the New York Yankees by rallying for a wild 8-7 win.

After the Yankees tied the game on Anthony Volpe's RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning and scored twice more in the top of the 10th, Cleveland struck for three runs off reliever Caleb Ferguson in the bottom of the inning to salvage the series finale.

Jose Ramirez started the comeback with a leadoff single and Josh Naylor followed with a fielder's choice groundout that scored brother Bo Naylor, the Guardians' designated runner to begin their half of the inning. David Fry then doubled to put two men on before Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres threw late to home plate after bobbling a ground ball, allowing Josh Naylor to score and tie the contest at 7-7.

Gimenez then lifted a fly ball to right deep enough to bring home Fry with the winning run.

The Yankees were down to their final out in the ninth when Volpe drove a pitch from Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase into the gap in right center field to drive in Oswaldo Cabrera from first and knot the score at 5-5.

New York then loaded the bases with none out in the 10th to set up Anthony Rizzo's single off Tyler Beede which sent home designated runner Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, who was intentionally walked.

Judge belted a three-run homer off Cleveland starter Logan Allen in the top of the third inning to open the scoring, though the Guardians countered with Ramirez's two-run shot off Nestor Cortes in their half of the frame.

Jose Trevino's solo homer in the fourth increased New York's lead to 4-2, but Cleveland again answered with two runs in the fifth.

Gabriel Arias led off the bottom of the inning with a homer off Cortes before Josh Naylor later tied it with a one-out single that plated Steven Kwan.

The score remained 4-4 until former Yankee Estevan Florial delivered a pinch-hit solo homer off Luke Weaver in the eighth.

Ramirez and Josh Naylor each had two hits and two RBIs for Cleveland, while Allen allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings. 

Volpe went 3 for 4 for New York, which removed Cortes after four-plus innings after the left-hander was reached for four runs despite striking out six. 

Scottie Scheffler warned his rivals he has no plans to take his eye off the ball after securing his second Masters title in three years.

Scheffler carded a closing 68 at Augusta National to finish four shots ahead of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and has now won three of his last four events and finished runner-up in the other.

The world number one’s thoughts immediately turned to getting home as soon as possible to his wife Meredith, who is pregnant with their first child, but he also intends to keep challenging for the game’s biggest titles.

“I’m coming home, I’ll be home as quick as I can,” Scheffler said when asked if he had a message for his wife.

“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more but all I can think about is getting home. It’s a very, very special time for both of us.

“I can’t put into words what it means to win this tournament again and really can’t put into words what it’s going to be like to be a father for the first time.

“I definitely will enjoy the birth of my first child, and my priorities will change very soon, so golf will be fourth in line, but I still love competing.

“I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball any time soon.”

Aberg threatened to become the first player to win the Masters on their debut since 1979 when he held a share of the lead following a birdie on the ninth, only to run up a double bogey on the 11th after pulling his approach into the water.

The 24-year-old responded superbly and birdied the 13th and 14th to keep the pressure on, only for Scheffler to pick up shots on the same holes.

“I think there’s a lot of things that we did very well this week, especially today, because I came out and I was very nervous, obviously,” Aberg, who only turned professional 10 months ago, said.

“I was shaking a little bit on the first tee. Those are all things that I really enjoy doing. We said that it’s a privilege to be able to hit all these shots out here, and it’s a privilege to be in this position.

“Obviously we knew that hitting it in the water on 11 wasn’t ideal, but we also just kept playing. That’s what me and my caddie Joe [Skovron] and our team has been trying to work on. Just keep playing no matter what happens.

“I think we did that very well and it just showed that we stuck to what we did, and it ended up being pretty okay anyways.

“It shows we’re doing a lot of good stuff, and obviously, finishing well in the Masters is a dream come true. Just playing here has been such a privilege, and I’m super proud of myself and the team and all the work that we’re doing.”

Scottie Scheffler warned his rivals he has no plans to take his eye off the ball after securing his second Masters title in three years.

Scheffler carded a closing 68 at Augusta National to finish four shots ahead of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and has now won three of his last four events and finished runner-up in the other.

The world number one’s thoughts immediately turned to getting home as soon as possible to his wife Meredith, who is pregnant with their first child, but he also intends to keep challenging for the game’s biggest titles.

“I’m coming home; I’ll be home as quick as I can,” Scheffler said when asked if he had a message for his wife.

“I wish I could soak this in a little bit more, but all I can think about is getting home. It’s a very, very special time for both of us.

“I can’t put into words what it means to win this tournament again and really can’t put into words what it’s going to be like to be a father for the first time.

“I definitely will enjoy the birth of my first child, and my priorities will change very soon, so golf will be fourth in line, but I still love competing.

“I don’t plan on taking my eye off the ball any time soon.”

Shot of the day

Scheffler was tied for the lead with Collin Morikawa when he produced a brilliantly judged approach to the ninth to set up the second of three birdies in a row.

Statistic of the day

Top statistician Justin Ray highlights Scheffler’s superb form in 2024.

Quote of the day

“I’m coming home. I’ll be home as quick as I can” – Scheffler’s message to his wife Meredith, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Hardest hole

For the first time all week, the 17th played as the hardest hole, a solitary birdie, 19 bogeys and three double bogeys leading to a scoring average of 4.40.

Easiest hole

The par-five second hole appeared to be played from a forward tee, and it was no surprise that it yielded four eagles, 27 birdies, and just four bogeys for a scoring average of 4.483.

When is the next major?

The 106th US PGA Championship will take place at Valhalla Golf Club, the scene of Rory McIlroy’s last major victory in 2014, from May 16-19.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in just one half of action to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double figures as the Thunder clinched the Western Conference's No. 1 seed with a 135-86 rout of the depleted Dallas Mavericks in Sunday's regular-season finale.

The Thunder, who missed the postseason in each of the previous three seasons, earned the conference's top spot for the first time since 2012-13 after winning a tiebreaker with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Both teams finished with 57–25 records, but Oklahoma City won three of the four meetings between the clubs. 

Oklahoma City rested most of its starting five for the entire second half after building an insurmountable 82-41 lead over Dallas, which held out stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving and two other starters with its playoff seed already known.

The Mavericks were locked into the West's No. 5 seed and will face the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the quarterfinals.

Oklahoma City shot 60.7 per cent in the first quarter to own a 39-22 advantage after 12 minutes, then overwhelmed Dallas' makeshift lineup in the second to put the game already out of reach.

The Thunder outscored the Mavericks by a 43-19 margin for the period, with reserve Aaron Wiggins leading the way with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Wiggins finished with 14 points and Chet Holmgren had 13 along with nine rebounds before also sitting out the second half.

Brandon Williams paced Dallas with 22 points, while rookie Olivier Maxence-Prosper had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks.

Suns thump Timberwolves to avoid play-in round

In another of the West's pivotal games on the season's final day, the Phoenix Suns secured a spot in the quarterfinals with a 125-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to set up a first-round clash between the teams.

Phoenix's win coupled with New Orleans' 124-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday moved the Suns ahead of the Pelicans for the West's No. 6 seed. New Orleans will now host the Lakers once again on Tuesday in the play-in round.

Minnesota entered the day tied with Oklahoma City and Denver for the West's top record, but fell to the No. 3 seed and will face the Suns in the best-of-seven quarterfinals.

Phoenix set up the rematch behind a big performance from Bradley Beal, who made all six of his 3-point attempts while tallying 36 points. The Suns also received 23 points and seven assists from Devin Booker and 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from Grayson Allen.

Beal set the tone right from the start, as he dropped in 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the first quarter as Phoenix took a commanding 44-22 lead into the second.

The Suns maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way, with Minnesota never getting its deficit under 10 points over the final three quarters.

Rudy Gobert led the Timberwolves with 21 points and seven rebounds, but All-Star Anthony Edwards was held to 13 points in 35 minutes and committed five of Minnesota's 24 turnovers, which tied a single-game high for the season.

Knicks outlast Bulls in overtime to secure East's No. 2 seed

Jalen Brunson's 40 points and some big shots from his supporting cast catapulted the New York Knicks into the Eastern Conference's No. 2 seed with a 120-119 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks leapfrogged the Milwaukee Bucks in the standings after rallying from an eight-point deficit with nine minutes left in regulation and then holding off Chicago during the final stages of overtime. Brunson added eight rebounds and seven assists, while Donte DiVincenzo recorded 25 points and Bojan Bogdanovic chipped in 13 points off the bench.

Milwaukee finished one game back of New York following Sunday's 113-88 loss to Orlando, a result that enabled the Magic to avoid the play-in round. The Bucks would have won the tiebreaker with the Knicks had the teams ended with identical records.

New York appeared on the verge of defeat when down 90-82 early in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks scored 14 of the game's next 20 points to draw even.

A Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 6:48 left cut Chicago's lead to 94-93, and after DeMar DeRozan's jumper gave the Bulls some breathing room, DiVincenzo knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 96-96 with five minutes to go.

Chicago took a 109-107 edge on Coby White's layup with 1:19 remaining in regulation, but Brunson answered with a short jumper on the ensuing possession and neither team could score in the final minute.

After the Bulls' Alex Caruso opened overtime with a 3-pointer, New York scored seven straight points to own a 116-112 advantage with 2:27 left.

Chicago, which entered the contest already locked into the play-in round as the East's No. 9 seed, continued to battle back before missing out on a chance to win at the end.

Caruso's layup with 14.4 seconds on the clock brought the Bulls within 120-119 before DiVincenzo turned the ball over on the next possession. Chicago then got the ball to DeRozan, who couldn't get a short jumper to fall with 2.8 seconds left as the Knicks held on.

DeRozan finished with 30 points and Nikola Vucevic had 29 along with 11 rebounds for Chicago, which also received 26 points from White.

The Bulls will host the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks in Wednesday's play-in round.

Scottie Scheffler fully justified his status as pre-tournament favourite with a nerveless second Masters title in the space of three years at Augusta National.

The world number one carded a closing 68 to finish 11 under par and four shots clear of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, with England’s Tommy Fleetwood, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and Max Homa three strokes further back.

Scheffler held his nerve as his rivals stumbled around Amen Corner and responded magnificently when Aberg kept the pressure on, the 24-year-old again demonstrating his enormous potential on his major debut.

Aberg only turned professional in June last year, but quickly won on the DP World Tour, helped Europe regain the Ryder Cup in Rome – including a 9&7 win with Viktor Hovland over Scheffler and Brooks Koepka – and also tasted victory on the PGA Tour before the end of the season.

Scheffler has been in equally brilliant form in 2024, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots and becoming the first player to secure back-to-back Players Championship titles seven days later.

That meant the 27-year-old had been made favourite for the Masters at the the kind of odds previously only offered for peak-era Tiger Woods and he duly took a one-shot lead into the final round.

A birdie on the third quickly doubled that advantage, but dropped shots on the fourth and seventh left Scheffler in a three-way tie for the lead with playing partner Morikawa and Aberg.

Homa’s birdie on the eighth made it a four-way tie, but dramatic and decisive changes were just around the corner.

Scheffler was inches away from spinning his approach to the ninth into the hole for an eagle and tapped in for the easiest of birdies, while Morikawa took two to escape from a greenside bunker to run up a double bogey.

Scheffler also birdied the 10th and was gifted some welcome breathing space when Aberg pulled his second to the 11th into the water to card a costly double bogey, an error repeated minutes later by Morikawa.

Scheffler failed to take full advantage as he also dropped a shot, but then saw another contender fall away as Homa was forced to take a penalty drop from bushes behind the 12th green.

Aberg refused to throw in the towel and birdied the 13th and 14th to seemingly keep the pressure on, only for the unflappable Scheffler to birdie the same holes, his approach to the 14th spinning down to tap-in range.

Another birdie on the 16th put the result beyond doubt and unlike in 2022, this time there would be no careless four putts on the 18th green.

Woods had finished his round an hour before the final pairing of Scheffler and Morikawa teed off, his 100th round at the Masters beginning after enlisting the help of his son Charlie.

Charlie was pictured seemingly giving his dad some swing tips on the practice range at Augusta National, advice even a 15-time major champion may have welcomed following a demoralising third round of 82.

That was the 48-year-old’s worst score in the Masters by four shots and meant an early tee time on Sunday alongside Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut.

Woods started in style with a 360-yard drive on the par-five second to help set up a straightforward birdie, but ran up a triple bogey seven on the fifth and eventually signed for a 77 to finish last of the 60 players to make the cut.

Woods had previously targeted playing one tournament a month this year, with the remaining majors – the US PGA, US Open and Open Championship – the obvious targets.

“This is a golf course I knew going into it so I’ve got to do my homework going forward at Valhalla and Pinehurst and Troon, but that’s kind of the game-plan,” Woods said.

“I heard there were some changes at the next couple of sites so I’ve got to get up there early and check them out.”

Rory McIlroy carded a closing 73 to finish in a tie for 22nd on his 10th attempt to complete the career grand slam, with defending champion Jon Rahm a distant 45th following a final round of 76.

Tiger Woods immediately switched his focus to the season’s remaining majors after enlisting the help of his son Charlie before his 100th round in the Masters.

Charlie was pictured seemingly giving his dad some swing tips on the practice range at Augusta National, advice even a 15-time major champion may have welcomed following a demoralising third round of 82.

That was the 48-year-old’s worst score in the Masters by four shots and meant an early tee time on Sunday alongside Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut.

Woods started in style with a 360-yard drive on the par-five second to help set up a straightforward birdie, but bogeyed the third after his chip from short of the green failed to climb the steep slope and rolled back to his feet.

Worse was soon to come on the fifth as a wild drive into the trees resulted in an unplayable lie and meant Woods had to be driven back to the tee to hit another ball, leading to a triple-bogey seven.

Another bogey on the sixth and three subsequent pars took Woods to the turn in 40, the same score he opened with in 1997 before covering the back nine in 30 on his way to a 12-shot win.

It was also five shots worse than playing partner Shipley, but Woods typically refused to throw in the towel and covered the back nine in 37 to return a closing 77.

Woods had previously targeted playing one tournament a month this year, with the remaining majors – the US PGA, US Open and Open Championship – the obvious targets.

“This is a golf course I knew going into it so I’ve got to do my homework going forward at Valhalla and Pinehurst and Troon, but that’s kind of the game-plan,” Woods said.

“I heard there were some changes at the next couple of sites so I’ve got to get up there early and check them out.”

Despite finishing last of the 60 players to make the weekend, Woods did at least make a record 24th consecutive cut and insisted: “It was a good week all around.

“I think that coming in not having played a full tournament in a very long time it was a good fight Thursday and Friday, unfortunately yesterday didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted to.

“It doesn’t take much to get out of position here. Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot yesterday and a couple times today.

“Today, the round that Tom (Kim, who shot 66) is playing is what I thought I had in my system and I just didn’t produce it.”

Woods finished his round an hour before the final pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa teed off, Scheffler having birdied the 18th in Saturday’s third round to hold a one-shot lead over the two-time major champion.

A birdie on the third briefly doubled Scheffler’s advantage, but the world number one promptly bogeyed the next after misjudging the wind and failing to get up and down from over the green.

Scheffler was also unable to save par from a bunker on the seventh and fell back into a four-way tie for the lead with Morikawa, Max Homa and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who had birdied the second and seventh to continue his hugely impressive major championship debut.

Tiger Woods enlisted the help of his son Charlie before carding a battling 77 in his 100th round in the Masters.

Charlie was pictured seemingly giving his dad some swing advice on the practice range at Augusta National, advice he may even have welcomed following a demoralising third round of 82.

That was the five-time champion’s worst score in the Masters by four shots and meant an early tee time on Sunday alongside Neal Shipley, the only amateur to make the cut.

Woods started in style with a 360-yard drive on the par-five second to help set up a straightforward birdie, but bogeyed the third after his chip from short of the green failed to climb the steep slope and rolled back to his feet.

Worse was soon to come on the fifth as a wild drive into the trees meant Woods had to return to the tee to hit another ball and, after finding the green with his fourth shot, he compounded the error by three-putting for a triple-bogey seven.

Another bogey on the sixth and three subsequent pars took Woods to the turn in 40, the same score he opened with in 1997 before covering the back nine in 30 on his way to a 12-shot win.

It was also five shots worse than playing partner Shipley, but Woods typically refused to throw in the towel and covered the back nine in 37 with eight pars and a solitary bogey on the 15th.

“It was a good week all around,” Woods insisted.

“I think that coming in not having played a full tournament in a very long time it was a good fight Thursday and Friday, unfortunately yesterday didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted to.

“It doesn’t take much to get out of position here. Unfortunately, I got out of position a lot yesterday and a couple times today.

“Today, the round that Tom (Kim, who shot 66) is playing is what I thought I had in my system and I just didn’t produce it.”

Woods had previously targeted playing one tournament a month this year, with the remaining majors – the US PGA, US Open and Open Championship – the obvious targets.

“This is a golf course I knew going into it so I’ve got to do my homework going forward at Pinehurst and Valhalla and Troon but that’s kind of the game plan,” Woods said.

“I heard there were some changes at the next couple of sites so I’ve got to get up there early and check them out.”

Woods finished his round an hour before the final pairing of Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa were due to tee off, Scheffler having birdied the 18th in Saturday’s third round to hole a one-shot lead over the two-time major champion.

Fellow American Max Homa was two shots off the lead, with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg another stroke back and Bryson DeChambeau four adrift of Scheffler after holing his approach to the 18th from 77 yards on Saturday for an unlikely birdie.

History suggested the winner would be one of those five players, with the last 27 winners of the green jacket being within four shots of the lead after 54 holes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas brushed aside Casper Ruud to claim his third Monte-Carlo Masters title in four years.

The Greek star took just an hour and 37 minutes to see off his Norwegian opponent 6-1 6-4 on Court Rainier III.

Ruud dispatched world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals but he could not repeat the feat as Tsitsipas once again produced his best tennis in the principality.

The title winner, who has had to overcome a back problem, told the ATP Tour’s official website: “It has been very difficult, so to be back on the podiums, winning tournaments just feels amazing.

“I can’t thank my family enough and friends – and if there is God out there – for making this moment possible. I am extremely grateful for every person behind this journey.

“The third time is even more special than the first or second time. This is an unbelievable win for me. Capturing that win today was nerve-wracking. I really wanted this trinity. I am extremely happy today.”

The 25-year-old 12th seed came out firing against the world number 10, breaking the struggling Ruud in the third game and clinching the first set at the second time of asking.

He had to save a break point in the first game of the second set and then three in the seventh as the improving Norwegian pushed for a way back into the match.

However, Tsitsipas then broke to edge himself towards the finishing line and complete a good afternoon’s work.

He said: “I am glad I presented on court and showed some ruthless tennis. From the beginning to the end my play was cohesive and I was able to blend in a lot of different shots.”

Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Barcelona Open due to injury.

The world number three pulled out of the Monte-Carlo Masters with a right forearm problem and has not recovered in time to defend his title in his home country.

A statement from the tournament read: “Carlos Alcaraz will not be able to defend the title he won the last two seasons.

“The player from Murcia has suffered from the injury sustained in Monte Carlo, and did not have a good feeling in his training on Sunday and, despite having tried until the last moment, he will not be in the Barcelona Open.

“Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you next year.”

Fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal is scheduled to make his comeback from injury at the tournament.

The 37-year-old has not played on the main tour since January due to a hip injury.

The Coral Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr this week could prove highly significant in the engrossing battle for the British trainers’ championship – with Willie Mullins’ Macdermott shortening significantly in price for the big race with the sponsors.

Mullins had a hugely successful Cheltenham Festival and was frequently in the money at Aintree too, not least when taking the Randox Grand National with I Am Maximum to add £500,000 to the pot of prize-money he has won in Britain this season.

That sum puts him ahead of Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls and there is more money on offer still at the Ayr fixture coming up on Friday and Saturday, as Mullins seeks to emulate the great Vincent O’Brien, who won the British and Irish titles in successive years in the 1950s.

Coral have made Macdermott the 6-1 favourite for the Scottish National – which has a first prize of £112,540 – and Mullins the 1-2 favourite for the trainers’ title. In addition to the National, the Scottish Champion Hurdle is worth £56,270 to the winner.

“After the success of I Am Maximus in the Aintree showpiece on Saturday, punters are now backing Willie Mullins to make it a Grand National double with victory at Ayr and Macdermott is a significant market mover for the race, his odds tumbling from 10-1 to 6-1 clear favouritism, while the man himself is now 1-2 to land a first British trainers’ title,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

Officials at Ayr are understandably looking forward to the added interest in their big meeting after events at Aintree.

Clerk of the course Graeme Anderson said: “It’s pretty much all or nothing now for the title, Willie Mullins seems to be in control.

“We’re hoping he’ll be coming to Ayr, it really adds to the racing and definitely adds to the occasion, we’re really looking forward to it.

“We’ll see what tomorrow brings when the entries come in, but we hope they’re all in there and he’s pushing to get that title.

“Paul Nicholls has always been a big supporter of this meeting and then obviously with the win on Saturday, Willie Mullins has come on the scene. He hasn’t had a lot of runners at Ayr in the past so it’ll be good to see a good few of his.”

It was Henrietta Knight who first identified I Am Maximus’ star quality and she is now backing the Randox Grand National hero to go on and win a Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Gold Cup-winning trainer was in her role as racing manager to the late Michael Grech when she first laid eyes on I Am Maximus as a yearling and it was a clear case of love at first sight for Knight, who relished every moment of the Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old’s Aintree triumph.

The 77-year-old now feels course winner I Am Maximus has all the capabilities to emulate her own Best Mate and capture the blue riband at the Cheltenham Festival.

Knight said: “I think he could win a Gold Cup. I’m not sure how Willie will cope with all his horses for the Gold Cup and which one he would consider the best, but he is a real stayer, Maximus, and he likes Cheltenham – he loves the hill.

“I really enjoyed watching the National and after he jumped the first two fences I said ‘he’s loving it, he’s got the hang of it and loves these fences’.

“We were just watching him creeping and creeping and he made that one mistake at The Chair, where he rather caught Paul (Townend, jockey) by surprise and he had to call a cab, but then Paul was very good as he didn’t rush him.

“He just let him get his confidence again and on he went on the second circuit, I thought it was fantastic to watch.”

I Am Maximus spent his first few summers with Knight at her West Lockinge Farm in Wantage and after the early stages of his racing career were overseen by Nicky Henderson, he switched to Mullins, who Knight credits with helping the burgeoning talent fulfil his destiny of winning Grand Nationals.

“I had the horse here a lot for two summers and parts of winter as well and he won a bumper and a novice hurdle for Nicky Henderson,” continued Knight.

“Mike wanted to move all his horses to Ireland and it was my idea to move him to Willie’s. I doubt anyone else would have won a National with him and he has trained him so well.”

She added: “I felt sorry for Jody McGarvey not riding him because he has done a good job on him this year, but that is how it goes in racing and you have to have your stable jockey on your top horse. Paul’s riding fantastic and I would want him on board.”

The son of Authorized is the latest champion off the Tom Costello production line that had been the source of Knight’s very own great, Best Mate.

The Costellos have been Knight’s go-to family when searching for high-quality new stock and I Am Maximus was an instant hit with not just Knight herself, but the horse’s original owner, who sadly died before his former charge reached his peak.

“I picked him out as a yearling and then I went back and bought him for Mike Grech as a three-year-old from the Costellos, from whom I bought Best Mate. He came from a fantastic place and all my best horses have come from them, not just Best Mate, but Calgary Bay, Racing Demon and Somersby as well.

“They produce good horses and they bought him from France as a yearling. I always loved him.

“Mike adored the horse and he was named after his wife Maxine, it was his favourite horse. It was unfortunate he had to give up his racing interests and when that time came, Willie thought he was an ideal candidate for JP (McManus).”

Shifting to the left at his fences has always been a trademark of I Am Maximus’ chasing career, while he has always been regarded as a touch ‘quirky’ by those who have dealt with him on the racecourse.

However, Knight – a known master on the schooling grounds – has nothing but praise for his jumping ability and explains how he always had the hallmarks of an exceptional staying chaser in the making.

“Most of the best horses are a little quirky and he has a little bit of his own ideas,” she said.

“He’s very straightforward to train but he has his own ideas about jumping. He was always a very, very good jumper and a careful jumper, but he just likes to measure his jumps up by going left-handed.

“In the Olympics, you will see the high jumpers go off sideways to measure the jump and it is what I Am Maximus has always done. That’s his mark and how he likes to do it.”

She went on: “He was always destined to be a chaser and he was unbelievable when he was here as a youngster – we would jump him a lot. He doesn’t want to fall, he always wants to get it right and that means he sometimes takes some rather strange jumps that catch the jockeys by surprise.

“I have some fantastic pictures of Maximus jumping all kinds of poles and everything else here, he could showjump, he is that careful, and he has got the time to be careful over staying trips. He’s good at conserving his energy and he doesn’t waste any in a race.

“He’s a very good horse and he would have gone round again in the National!”

There were no fallers in this year’s Grand National, as 21 of the 32-strong field completed the marathon course.

That is the highest number of finishers since 2005 and with the first four home all previous Grade One winners, Knight concedes the race is a far different proposition to the test her late husband Terry Biddlecombe would have encountered as a jockey, but a change that is necessary to adapt with the times.

“The first four home were all class horses and it just shows that cream comes to the top in races like that now,” explained Knight.

“It’s no longer a race where you will get a huge outsider from the bottom of the weights crop up, I don’t think. They skipped round a lot of the horses yesterday, they all looked fresh and everything looked good.

“The only thing is I think on the second circuit there is hardly anything to jump at as they’ve kicked all the top off – I think you could canter round on your pony and jump those. They are not what they were, but that is what the sport is now and people want to see a race without accidents.

“It’s just adapting to the times and it’s not like the brave riders of old who hunted round sitting on the back of their saddles on a long rein, with pot luck and huge fences. It’s more of a professional race now.”

Jonbon could defend his Celebration Chase title or head to the Punchestown Festival before the season ends, after forming one half of a Grade One double for Nicky Henderson at Aintree’s Grand National Festival.

The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old was one of a number of big names from Seven Barrows to miss the Cheltenham Festival, with Henderson effectively shutting down operations as a poor run of form hit his Lambourn-based string.

However, he proved his class alongside hot juvenile prospect Sir Gino, as the Henderson team bounced back to form on Merseyside, their time in the doldrums proving short lived.

The Joe and Marie Donnelly-owned Sir Gino is finished for the season after claiming the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, but there could be further business for Jonbon to take care of, either at Sandown on the final day of the season or on a raiding mission to Ireland.

“Sir Gino, that will be him done, but there is every chance Jonbon could go again and we will have a look at the Celebration Chase or Punchestown,” said Henderson.

“If you wait for Punchestown, you get an extra four days, which might be a help, but I think both of mine, because they hadn’t been to Cheltenham, they probably had a bit of an advantage here.

“There is room to go again with Jonbon and we will see who is going where and what.

“He did it last year in his novice chase season – he went to Sandown for the Celebration and has done the double act before. He probably had an easier race in the novice chase last year than he did on Friday but it was just a very good race.”

It was Jonbon’s first attempt at two and a half miles when successful in the Melling Chase, but he will be dropping back to two miles if he is to be seen again this spring.

However, Henderson is envisaging a return to further after that possible assignment, with plenty to be discussed with owner McManus before the autumn.

“He would have to come back to two miles because there isn’t anything for him over further and then we will have to sit down and think,” he continued.

“I was saying before the race I was sure he would get the two and a half and wouldn’t be surprised if we were soon talking about three (miles).

“Nico (de Boinville) wasn’t that convinced about the three, but we will see and I haven’t discussed it with JP yet – he’s got plenty on his mind at present counting up all his Grade One winners.”

Jonbon is not the only Seven Barrows inmate in line for a trip to the Punchestown Festival, with Shishkin on course for a long-awaited clash with dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

The 10-year-old could only finish fourth in defence of his Bowl title at Aintree, but Henderson feels the set-up of the Kildare track would suit his multiple Grade One winner much better than Liverpool.

“I would like Shishkin to go to Punchestown and I think he would be ready for it,” added Henderson.

“I think the track would suit him a little bit more than Aintree and he just didn’t look quite sharp enough round there.

“He couldn’t just get out of pockets and holes at the right moment. Tactically, it was a tough race and he just lacked that little bit of zip, so we might zip him up a little bit for Punchestown.”

The 2024 Randox Grand National has been hailed as a roaring success and there is no doubt Aintree officials will be keen to build on the favourable feedback received.

Here, we take a look at five things we learned from this year’s Liverpool spectacular:

Quality over quantity works

Reducing the number of declared runners from 40 to 34 caused quite a stir and when two more pulled out on the day of the race, a few eyebrows would have been raised. But there was no need to worry.

With 21 completing the course and a whole host of horses being firmly in contention entering the home stretch, there could be no suggestion of restricted numbers diluting the overall experience.

Sir Anthony McCoy said: “It was the most wonderful finish. I’ve never seen so many horses in with a chance of winning the Grand National so late in the race. What an incredible race – just a brilliant spectacle.”

The class of the major players also shone through, with the first four home all rated 155 or higher. I Am Maximus is now being talked of as a future Gold Cup contender, while 2021 blue riband hero Minella Indo was back in third.

Runner-up Delta Work has two Cheltenham cross-country wins on his CV and multiple Grade One victories, while fourth-placed Galvin struck at elite level in the Savills Chase a few years ago after previously claiming the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.

Other recent victors such as Corach Rambler (third in this year’s Gold Cup), Noble Yeats and Tiger Roll highlight how much ability is now needed to challenge for top honours in the Grand National.

Trainer and owner limits are not required

The British Horseracing Authority toyed with the idea of restricting each trainer to a maximum of four runners in elite handicaps, but that was swiftly dismissed and in the end it was hardly noticed that Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott saddled 15 between them.

Some connections who missed out on a place in the starting line-up may cast a disapproving glance at Mullins having 125-1 outsider Janidil pulled up, as were Elliott’s Chemical Energy (50-1), Farouk d’Alene (100-1) and Minella Crooner (125-1).

But no one could say they were filling up slots to keep out more fancied entries, as illustrated by Elliott finishing second with 28-1 shot Delta Work and fourth with Galvin at 40-1.

Leading owner JP McManus was winning the race for the third time and I Am Maximus was one of five to carry his famous green and gold hoops, but no one could have been more thrilled to come out on top.

Flanked by his grandchildren, he told ITV Racing: “I love everything about the race. I love Liverpool, the excitement of coming here, the build-up to the National, it’s just a very, very special place. When you win, it’s a wonderful spectacle.”

Size doesn’t matter when it comes to National fences

Several obstacles are not the famously daunting propositions they once were and the first fence is now closer to the start. But few will be complaining after the race featured no official fallers and no serious injuries.

Of course, the National is now a far-less demanding test but no one misses the days when tired horses would get stuck halfway over mammoth fences, or the even-more gory sight of fallers rolling back into the ditch at Becher’s Brook.

Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale beamed: “We’re absolutely delighted, the changes have clearly had a very positive impact. I think it was probably the cleanest National I’ve ever seen.

“You’ve got to go back to 1992 to find more finishers, so we’re really pleased. I think the standing start seemed to work and I thought the jockeys were very sensible and it was a very well-ridden race, great credit to all involved. It was a really exciting finish, the National exactly as we want it.”

Clerk of the course Sulekha Varma added: “Everybody is coming up to me saying what a good race to watch it was, it was exciting and there were so many horses still in contention and we had a fabulous winner.”

The Corinthian spirit lives on

It is only two years since Sam Waley-Cohen struck on board Noble Yeats, but it was a long time between drinks for the amateur riders’ brigade, who had enjoyed such great success through Charlie Fenwick on Ben Nevis, Dick Saunders on Grittar and Marcus Armytage on Mr Frisk between 1980 and 1990.

Such is the high standard of jockeyship these days, it will take something special for a non-professional to prevail again, but David Maxwell carried the Corinthian torch admirably in finishing sixth on Ain’t That A Shame.

The millionaire property developer cheekily declared: “That was as much fun as you can have with your trousers on!”

He added: “Crossing the Melling Road I couldn’t believe I was still in touch…I thought ‘bloody hell, I’m going to finish the Grand National’, then I thought ‘I’m going to finish somewhere near the frame’. I’ve never thought it would go like this. It was such a thrill.”

Gina Andrews may be a more accomplished amateur, being crowned champion point-to-point rider 10 times and notching more than 400 winners, but she will have been just as thrilled with the run of Latenightpass, who led two out before fading back to 12th.

Racing should be fun to watch

Aintree attracted just under 60,000 spectators on Saturday and millions more watched the big race on television. Just as the Melbourne Cup is dubbed ‘the race that stops a nation’, the Grand National still has the ability to grip an audience ahead of all other distractions now available.

Nicky Henderson described the action on Merseyside as the “best three days racing you could wish to see anywhere”, and he didn’t even saddle a National runner.

He said: “It was a fabulous Grand National, with lots of horses getting round and everyone safe and sound, which is always paramount…it wants to be celebrated and paraded and everyone saying well done to everyone.”

Dickon White, who runs Aintree as the Jockey Club’s regional director, commented: “The Randox Grand National has a long and storied history and today will be remembered as one of the truly great races.

“Liverpool has once again played its part in making this a fantastic three days, creating a world class atmosphere off the track to match the world-class action on it.”

Ruby Walsh, who won the Grand National twice, summed up this year’s event when stating: “If that doesn’t convince people that this is a wonderful sport then I don’t know what will.”