Licensee is runner-up in People's Race

By Matt Eley Matt

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Plough inn Horse racing

A licensee swapped his pub for the racetrack and nearly pulled off an incredible win on Grand National day. Craig Brown, licensee of the Plough Inn...

A licensee swapped his pub for the racetrack and nearly pulled off an incredible win on Grand National day.

Craig Brown, licensee of the Plough Inn at Ford, Cheltenham, finished a respectable second in the John Smith's People's Race at Aintree on Saturday.

He was one of 10 amateur jockeys picked to ride in the nine furlong event which kicked-off proceedings on the day.

"It was an incredible experience, I have got to be pleased with it. I gave it everything and did what I had been taught but I was never going to catch the horse in front.

"The experience was something else and it just flashed by so quickly," he said.

As well as riding in front of a packed house on the famous circuit Craig also picked up £5,000 for his local Air Ambulance service.

He said that he was now getting used to life back at the Plough Inn - The Publican's Racing Pub of the Year 2009​ - after 10 weeks of intensive training.

"It does feel a bit odd coming back and thinking now that it is all over but my partner has done an amazing job keeping things going here."

Craig was beaten into second place on the day by 25-year-old jeweller David Griffiths, who scooped £50,000 which will be split between the Injured Jockeys Fund and jhis own local Air Ambulance service.

In total the race, which has now been staged three times by John Smith's, will see £100,000 pledged to various causes.

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