In one part of Hereford yesterday morning there were some sore heads. And more to the point some very unexpected sore heads.

Mon Mome became the first 100-1 shot since Foinavon in 1967 to win the National, and not only did he win but from the last he turned it into a procession. It has proved that any horse can still win with the unique demands that are involved.

Going to the second last there were about 12 that could win, including a 200-1 chance, as well as most of the more fancied horses. (Unfortunately I was not among them, but at least I could watch from a safe distance behind rather than sat on my backside).

Liam Treadwell, the winning jockey, is now part of Aintree folklore (although this does not mean that he will get a free ticket to the race when he retires). Venetia Wiliams, the horse's trainer, loves her fast cars - she has an Aston Martin (I don't know what type, I'm not a petrol head) - but with all the celebrating over the next couple of weeks the car will be taking a well deserved rest.

Without wishing to play the macho card too much, it is a tough sport that I compete in. Not for us jockeys to be rolling around in pain on the grass like we have just been shot. No, we are real men.

Two winning jockeys at Aintree prove this. After a fall earlier in the week, Graham Lee was only allowed to ride on Saturday after having to get three X-rays done on his ankle before the medical staff at Aintree were satisfied that he had not broken it. He could not walk but luckily he did not need to, as Kalahari King did the hard work.

Last Monday, Dominic Elsworth was getting scans on his shoulder to see what damage he had done in a fall at Towcester. By Friday, however, even for a relatively soft Yorkshireman, the pain was gone and he rode El Dancer to victory. As a jockey you accept the dangers, know that pain and injury are part and parcel of the sport and as long as you are not restricting the horses' chances then you just get on with it. The pain of missing a winner is far worse.

For those of you watching the racing on BBC on Friday, the star of the show was Mattie Batchelor. This little fellow is a real character. I would like to say that the performance he put on was for the cameras, but he is like it every day. His practical jokes keep everyone amused and, although he was not riding at Aintree on Saturday, he left his mark by putting a sign reserving one of the toilets in the changing room for a jockey who has not enjoyed the best of times over the big fences.

On a personal level Aintree was a great meeting. Obviously Madison Du Berlais winning the big race on Thursday was the highlight but I had many good rides including two over the National fences, which is always a tremendous thrill. The racing at Aintree is high class and the locals make it welcoming and fun. Ladies' day on Friday is always a sight and no matter how glamorous the girls are when they arrive, they always look like they have thoroughly enjoyed themselves when they stagger home.