Businessman Trevor Hemmings and his staff have been ’inundated’ with messages of sympathy after the death of his Grand National winning star Many Clouds.

Mr Hemmings said it had been confirmed the gelding died of a ’massive heart attack’ shortly after winning the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

A clearly saddened Mr Hemmings, 81, said the horse’s ashes will be coming ’home’ to the Isle of Man. He said: ’We called him the Manx horse. He was like a member of the family and my staff are all devastated. One lady left a pot of flowers and a message at the Ramsey Park Hotel.’

Mr Hemmings, who knew the 10-year-old horse since he was a foal, spent some quiet moments with his two other Grand National winning horses Hedgehunter and Ballabriggs who live in retirement at his base in the north of the island.

He said Many Clouds was ’a very special horse’.

Sid Cunningham, director of Jennings bookies was ’very saddened’ by the death of the ’Manx punters’ favourite.’

His Ramsey shop ran out of cash afterMany Clouds won the National in 2015.