The Hitchin man who recently discovered he was heir to his long-lost father's £200m fortune picked the winner of the Grand National on Saturday!

It's been an eventful few weeks for our town's Simon Edwards to say the least.

The well-known Hitchin Town FC steward hit the headlines last month when he discovered he was the sole heir to a £200m fortune, after finding long-lost dad to be iconic US boxing commentator 'The Colonel' Bob Sheridan.

To cap an amazing month, the sports-mad former North Herts College student picked the winner of the Grand National this weekend.

Passionate sports fan Simon, selected Rachael Blackmore and her horse, Minella Times, to win Britain's biggest horse race on Saturday.

Speaking to Hitchin Nub News, modest family man Simon explained: "My stake was £50 at 10/1 and I won £500 back - which made for a very pleasant Saturday evening.

"I celebrated with a steak and a few Guinness and Red Stripe lagers - and the rest I put in my two daughter's bank accounts."

Over Aintree's notorious jumps, Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National after a well judged ride on Minella Times.

After success in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March, Blackmore proved to be the best in the business on Saturday, to seal a momentous day for her and trainer Henry de Bromhead.

Modest Simon told Nub News: "It's been amazing.

"I picked Minella Times just because Rachel was riding it and had a great Cheltenham. It was just a gut instinct I had she would win. Henry's CV is amazing.

"He's won the National, the Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle and the Champion Chase."

Simon's story so far

Simon, who was adopted as a baby, made the incredible discovery after he tracked down his family tree in Ireland.

Huge Hitchin Town fan Simon, 40, contacted 'The Colonel', the renowned Boston-born journalist who covered famous prize fights throughout his long career when he found out that his birth mother was Rosemary.

She sadly died in 1985 when Simon was five - leaving nine sisters and one brother.

Rosemary, from County Clare in the west of Ireland is said to have had a clandestine meeting with Mr Sheridan while working in a hotel where he was staying on holiday in 1980.

The result of the dalliance was Simon, who was born in Newham, east London, before being handed to a Catholic charity for adoption.

The world-famous boxing commentator known as 'The Colonel' - who covered Muhammed Ali's 'Rumble in the Jungle' with George Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) - says he was unaware Rosemary became pregnant with his secret son.

Simon is set to visit his birth father for the first time at Mr Sheridan's plush $150m villa in Las Vegas later this summer.

The Colonel is recognised worldwide for his distinctive baritone voice that has made him one of boxing's most famous characters - and has covered more than 10,000 fights which include 100 heavyweight title fights.

His most famous bouts include the majority of Muhammad Ali's fights including the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman and the Thriller in Manila against long-time foe Joe Frazier.

Mr Sheridan also called many of Mike Tyson's fights, including Buster Douglas's famous victory as well as the bout that saw Tyson bite off a part of Evander Holyfield's ear.

See Hitchin Nub News very soon for our exclusive interview with Simon.