All hail Hans Christian Sanderson - GoingStick saga is a disgrace that pushes racing into a world of fairytales

Being so enviably young, dear reader, you probably don't remember the McGlumpher scandal that rocked racing many decades ago. It revolved around the ageing and irascible figure of Lord McGlumpher, infamous as one of Britain's least effective generals during the First World War.

Hastened into retirement, he sought solace in racehorse ownership and eventually showed quite a knack for acquiring expensive animals who would run below expectations in all the major races. He was also in the interesting position of owning a firm that published the sport's official form book.

It emerged one spring that said bible recorded a dozen or so McGlumpher horses as having won races in which they had been, not to put too fine a point on it, unsuccessful.