Papillon is an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 racehorse formerly trained at Greenhills stables, near Naas

Naas

Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...

 in County Kildare

County Kildare

County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...

. His most notable success was winning the 2000 Grand National

Grand National

The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

.

Papillon is owned by American Mrs Betty Moran, owner of Brushwood Stable. She was not a fan of the Grand National and it took considerable persuasion before she would allow Papillon to be entered for the race in 2000.

Papillon had started the day with odds of 33–1 but was backed down to 10-1 by the time the race began. He was a first ever ride in the race for 20-year-old jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 Ruby Walsh

Ruby Walsh

Ruby Walsh is the reigning Irish National Hunt champion jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen.-Success:...

, and was trained by Ruby's father Ted Walsh

Ted Walsh

Ted Walsh is an amateur jockey turned racehorse trainer, based in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. He was born and raised in Co. Cork. As a rider, one of his most important wins was on Attitude Adjuster in the 1986 Cheltenham Festival Foxhunter Chase...

. When Papillon crossed the finishing line to win the world's richest steeplechase

Steeplechase (horse racing)

The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...

 he became an instant punters' favourite. Papillon previously came a very close second in the Irish Grand National

Irish Grand National

The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-four fences to be jumped...

 of 1998 under top-weight.

In 2001 Papillon returned to Aintree

Aintree

Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....

to attempt to defend his winning record. However, conditions were completely different to the previous year, as the race was run on very heavy ground and Papillon carried more weight. He was brought down at the 19th fence but Ruby Walsh realised there would be very few completions and remounted the horse to finish last of the four finishers, earning £25,000 for doing so.

Papillon was retired at the end of the 2002/03 season, having earned his connections over £400,000 in win and place prize money.