Grand National 2025: Liverpool lad Andy Bell invests big in Aintree race dream

Liverpool-born Andy Bell is the local-lad-made-good whose financial services company AJ Bell has helped make investment easier for its half a million customers.

Last year he invested some of his own money in the £325,000 purchase of winner Stay Away Fay, who he shares with mates Fergus Lyons and Ian Hill, hoping to reap a dividend in In two starts since changing hands and undergoing wind surgery, the -trained eight-year-old was pulled up over hurdles at Wincanton and 11th of 24 in the Ultima Chase at Cheltenham in March, beaten 44 lengths.

“We bought him as a National horse,” explains Bell. “The Ultima was just about finishing the race. If he’d pulled up again we’d have been scratching our heads. Getting him round safe was the priority.

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"Hopefully whatever niggles he’s had are behind him and he’ll get back to the horse he was. If he can, I think he is good value at 66-1.

“I was brought up around Liverpool and as long as I’ve been interested in horses, I’ve been watching the Grand National. We have Flat horses and other jumpers as well but if we could have one wish it would be to win the Grand National.

Bell, born in Maghull and raised in Rainford, founded AJ Bell in Manchester in 1995 and in 2018 the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange valued at £675m. He stepped down as CEO in 2022 but remains on the company’s board.

His involvement in began when he ran a small syndicate then revived when he bought the 50 acre property near Ormskirk on which he built Blythe Stables in 2010.

He developed it as a boutique training facility, installing Chris Kellett as trainer assisted by Bell’s daughter Jemma. The horses occasionally visit Southport beach where Grand National legend Red Rum would train.

With Lyons, Bell owned the stayer The Grand Visir on the Flat and over jumps Cheltenham regular Kilfilum Cross. Under Paul O'Brien, Stay Away Fay offers Bell the chance to fulfil one of two goals for 2025, on the day before his 59th birthday.

“We also own Moor Hall which has just earned its third Michelin star and my ’s Resolution was to get the third star and to win the Grand National.

“We’ve ticked one of the boxes and are eagerly anticipating the second.”