'This time we came fully loaded' - JP McManus celebrates as Aintree gamble I Am Maximus wins a vintage Grand National

To all those who claimed the Grand National was gone, to those who lamented the loss of what we once had and bemoaned the dawn of something beige, bland and unrecognisable from the good old days, the riposte is now easy – just look at the pulsating, drama-laden 178th Grand National and then look forward with relish to number 179.

What occurred on a chilly Aintree afternoon was a new-age Grand National that still managed to feel nostalgic. Not only did it look like a blast from the past, it took us back 50 years to when a legendary horse was synonymous with Liverpool's racecourse. 

Half a century on from Red Rum we have I Am Maximus, another magnificent chaser who either wins or finishes second in the sport's most cherished prize. This time, on his third visit and carrying more weight than any of the other 33 runners, he not only won, he delivered a superb display, one that was accomplished with masses of public support behind him.