Silver Birch is an Irish-trained thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse, owned by Brian Walsh of 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...

. Ridden by Robbie Power

Robbie Power

Robbie "Puppy" Power, son of Irish show-jumper Con Power, is the National Hunt jockey who rode 33-1 outsider Silver Birch to victory in the 2007 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on Saturday 14 April 2007 .-Footnotes:...

 and trained by 29 year-old Gordon Elliott

Gordon Elliott (racehorse trainer)

Gordon Elliott is a County Meath-based National Hunt racehorse trainer who was 29 when his first Grand National entry, the 33 to 1 outsider Silver Birch won the 2007 race on 14 April, 2007...

, Silver Birch was the winner of the 2007 John Smith's

John Smith's Brewery

John Smith's is a brewery founded in 1758 by Backhouse & Hartley at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, England. John Smith bought the brewery in 1847. John Smith's is the sixth highest selling beer brand in the United Kingdom, and the highest selling ale brand. The brewery is currently owned by...

 Grand National

2007 Grand National

The 2007 Grand National was the 160th official annual running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 14 April 2007 and attracted the maximum permitted field of forty competitors for a total prize money of £700,000...

 at Aintree Racecourse

Aintree Racecourse

Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England.It was served by Aintree Racecourse railway station until the station closed in the 1960s....

, run on Saturday 14 April 2007. He was Walsh and Elliott's first runner in the race.

Racing career

Silver Birch had previously won the Welsh National

Welsh National

The Welsh National is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow, Wales, over a distance of about 3 miles and 5½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...

 in 2004, and had been a highly favoured horse coming into the 2005 Grand National

2005 Grand National

The 2005 Grand National was the 158th official annual running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 9 April 2005 and attracted the maximum permitted field of forty competitors for total prize money of £700,000 including £406,000 to...

 under a previous trainer (Paul Nicholls

Paul Nicholls (horse racing)

Paul Nicholls is a British National Hunt horse trainer with stables at Ditcheat, Somerset. A relatively successful jump jockey, Nicholls has become the leading National Hunt trainer of his generation, finishing the 2007-2008 season with 155 winners and a record £4 million in prize money...

), but a leg injury ruled him out from the race. He competed in the 2006 race

2006 Grand National

The 2006 Grand National was the 159th official annual running of the Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 8 April 2006 and attracted the maximum permitted field of forty competitors for total prize money of £689,360 including £399,140 to the...

 but was hampered and fell at the Chair, the largest fence on the course. His starting price that day, in dramatic contrast to the enthusiasm he'd engendered the previous year, had been 40-1.

Silver Birch also participated in 2009 Grand National

2009 Grand National

The 2009 Grand National was the 162nd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 2009...

, once again under Robbie Power, but unfortunately fell at Becher's Brook

Becher's Brook

Becher's Brook is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the sixth and 22nd fence, as well as on four other occasions during the year...

 on the second circuit.
Owner: Brian Walsh=

Brian Walsh, from 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...

, Ireland

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...

  is a farmer

Farmer

A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...

 and stud

Stud farm

A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...

owner.