‘He’s loving the attention’: meet police horse who overcame emergency colic surgery to lead in his 10th Grand National winner
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Police horse Silver is trusted with one of the most important jobs at the Grand National.
The 18-year-old gelding, who serves with Merseyside Police, marked a special milestone this year when he led in the winner of the Aintree showpiece for a 10th time. The moment was even more special as Silver was taken to veterinary hospital in August last year for emergency colic surgery.
The team at the University of Liverpool’s Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital found a lipoma was causing the issue.
“What followed was a long road to recovery: box rest, endless cuddles, careful hand walks, hand grazing and gentle time back out in the paddock,” said a police spokesperson.
“Fast forward to now, he’s fully recovered, back on full duties and loving the attention. We’re all convinced he thought the crowd was there just for him!”
The spokesperson said the police horses “always make us proud” but Silver “really outdid himself” at Aintree.
Police horse Silver (pictured, left) behind 2026 Grand National winner I Am Maximus.
Silver was joined by his equine colleague Owen to accompany 2026 Randox Grand National hero I Am Maximus into the winners’ enclosure on Saturday (11 April).
Reflecting on the festival as a whole, Merseyside Police chief inspector Geoff Stewart said: “Merseyside has welcomed huge crowds at Aintree this week and I would like to thank the vast majority of racegoers for enjoying themselves safely and responsibly, while helping make it another successful event for the region.
“During the course of the three days our officers have enjoyed engaging with racegoers and ensuring their safety, and we are pleased to report there was a great atmosphere throughout with a low number of incidents.
“Months of extensive planning alongside our partner agencies goes into large-scale events such as this to ensure they run as smoothly as possible.
“Given the numbers of people attending, I am delighted that once again the overwhelming majority of visitors behaved themselves responsibly and enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere.”
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