RACING/Aintree Grand National: Jim Culloty's place in racing history is secure after Bindaree secured the jockey a Gold Cup-Grand National double at Aintree on Saturday. Not since fellow Irishman John Burke picked up steeplechasing's most coveted prizes in 1976 has the double been completed, but in just 23 days Culloty has reached the sport's pinnacle.

The 29-year-old accountant's son from Killarney climbed out from the shadow of Tony McCoy when Best Mate won the Gold Cup. But on Saturday he reached a place that even McCoy can only dream of: how the champion must have envied Culloty in the number one spot while he had to settle for the number three with the favourite, Blowing Wind.

"Asking me to compare the Gold Cup and the National is like asking a mother of twins which one she prefers: there's no answer," Culloty beamed.

Such fluency is typical of a man who immediately extended sympathy to his colleague, Jamie Goldstein. "Missing the National winner is a jockey's worst nightmare," he said.

The younger man was Bindaree's intended rider up to Wednesday when he broke his leg in a nondescript race at Ludlow.

Goldstein said yesterday: "We'd been saying for some time that Bindaree must have a great chance, and obviously I'm a wee bit gutted."

Bindaree's trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies, is also having to cope with conflicting emotions, having decided a month ago to retire at the end of the season.

A second National victory has put the 44-year-old on the horns of a happy dilemma.

"If I can assemble a good enough team for next season I may carry on, but it's very much 50-50," he said yesterday.

"Training is profitable and I'm not complaining about the actual finances, but we were in the top league for years and at present we don't have owners with the same financial muscle other yards have."

But maybe people shouldn't be surprised by the range of angles to the story. It is after all the National, the race that always seems to throw up a drama that would be dismissed as too far-fetched for a soap opera. The latest instalment was no different.

After the mud-spattered lunacy of last year, fast ground and bright sunshine had the bookies betting on the race matching the 20 finishers of 1990.

This was supposed to be a clean-cut National, except all of that went out the window at the first when four of the 40-strong field fell. Then another five exited at the second, two more at the third, and by the time Becher's was cleared the field was down to 30.

The early exits included the Irish Hennessy winner Alexander Banquet, who unseated Barry Geraghty at Becher's.

"I was very happy with the way he was going but he twisted in the air and gave me no chance," the jockey reported.

There was no danger of a descent to Red Marauder levels, but the attrition rate was still surprisingly severe. The well-backed Beau lost his rider at the 14th, but the race charged the ultimate to Manx Magic, who fractured his neck at the 20th, and The Last Fling was put down after a fall at the 24th.

The two fatalities will provide ammunition to the large crowd of animal rights protesters who stood outside the racecourse chanting "shame", but most of the record 63,500 crowd appeared focused on the finish.

Bindaree was a target in front and any number were queuing up to fire when four horses either fell or were brought down at the fourth last.

They included David's Lad, who fell, but the unlucky horse was Ad Hoc who had crept into contention only to be claimed by the stricken Irish horse. "I think we were very unfortunate. Ad Hoc jumped brilliantly and was going very well," said Paul Carberry.

Another to fall at the 27th was the French horse Djeddah, who jockey Thierry Doumen reported: "He was going like a winner."

But it was the grey What's Up Boys who threw down the main challenge and the headline writers started to prepare timely royal lines for rider Richard Johnson, the boyfriend of Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne.

Culloty, however, was having none of it. Having overcome continuous interference from a loose horse, and having conceded three lengths to his main rival, Bindaree was rejuvenated by a switch to the rails on the run-in and fought back to win.

"Bindaree is not always the happiest of horses," admitted owner Raymond Mould. "He can have a terrible temper and perhaps this helped him because he does not like being passed."

Culloty was happy to pass the credit to the horse, too. "He got me out of jail at the last. Because of the trouble with the loose horse I could not kick on in front when I wanted to three out, and after the last I was caught for speed. But then he proved he is as brave as they come," he said.

Bindaree is finished for the season but What's Up Boys, so close to another major triumph, could emerge again for the attheraces Gold Cup, formerly the Whitbread, at Sandown.

"He was very tired after the race but is fine this morning," said trainer Philip Hobbs yesterday. "You've got to be both delighted and disappointed. He might have been brought down early, so it was a lot better than that happening."

McCoy failed once again to fill the one gaping hole in his big-race CV and was frustrated at a second successive third for Blowing Wind.

"That's just the way this race is and we have got round in one piece. I thought at the fourth last he wasn't going to get home, but from two out he seemed to get a second wind. That was as close as we were ever going to get," he said.

Close but no cigar: the name on the 2002 National was Culloty.