CARRIE Ford may not race horses again despite scooping fifth place in the Grand National.

The 33-year-old jockey came out of retirement in a bid to ride 11-year-old Forest Gunner to success in Saturday's Aintree race - and be the first woman to win the event. She equalled Rosemary Henderson's fifth place position in the 1994 race but Carrie is now set to quit the competitive circuit.

Husband Richard Ford, who trained Forest Gunner at Folly Farm Stables on Forest Road, Little Budworth, admitted he has heard this claim before from his wife.

He said: "I am just grateful Carrie and Forest Gunner both came back in one piece. Carrie tells me she is never going to ride in a race again and I'd like to think that was it, but Carrie is Carrie and you can never know with her."

Mum-of-one Carrie, who gave birth to daughter Hannah in January, was a pre-race favourite despite being labelled a 'broodmare' by Red Rum trainer Ginger McCain in the weeks leading up to the National.

Carrie said: "I loved it - it was the thrill of a lifetime.

"It was all down to Forest Gunner's courage that he kept up with them to the last fence.

"It was a better class of race than when he was here the last two times and he was never able to just fiddle away."

Carrie is now enjoying a much-deserved break before returning to mid Cheshire to see how her treasured horse is faring.

Richard added: "He has a couple of small, very minor cuts, but he is fine. He hasn't got the best legs in the world and we always have him scanned after every race."