It was a great weekend for Davy Russell and trainer Gordon Elliott as Tiger Roll won the Grand National at Aintree.
The eventual winner saw off a late charge by the Willie Mullins' trained Pleasant Company to secure victory and a heroes welcome home in Summerhill, Co Meath.
As they bask in the glory of victory, winning jockey Russell and Elliott joined Kevin Kilbane to reflect on the win and the next hurdles to come.
"It's brilliant, Kevin, it's just fantastic really. I can't believe it," said Russell of the thrilling win.
"It's just madness really. Like the amount of messages and people contacting me is just unbelievable. I just couldn't imagine it. It really is overwhelming."
TIGER ROLL WINS THE #GRANDNATIONAL!
A tiger with the heart of a lion! pic.twitter.com/HTRpVLFAJz— ITV (@ITV) April 14, 2018
Russell also discussed the tense finish as Pleasant Company closed the gap fast by the end.
Winning Jockey Davy Russell after winning the Randox Health Grand National Handicap Chase with Tiger Roll during Grand National Day of the 2018 Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. David Davies/PA Wire/PA Images
"I could feel the crowd was surrounding around me and I knew there was something coming. It was getting very, very loud and I said I'd better keep going because there's nothing worse than hitting the front as early as I did and getting collared and obviously then, Pleasant Company just flashed by me at the line and he gave us a couple of moments of worry," he said.
It's been a strong season for Russell but the challenges keep coming.
"In our industry, it's very busy. It never really stops and I think if you pause to take a moment, the pause will take over you. I'm just happy to keep going now at this stage. I've no interest in slowing down," he said.
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