Historic Grand National a reminder of what is possible when we come together

In a year so far dominated by FOBTs, equine flu, prize-money rows and welfare disharmony, how refreshing it was to be immersed by a Grand National for the ages on Saturday, a race that delivered a historic result and the timeliest of tonics for the sport.

When racing stumbles into a crisis – which feels like a weekly occurrence at present – all too quickly hysteria spreads like wildfire. Instead of calm heads and a united front, a headwind full of animosity often makes progress a slow and bitter process.

Of course, when it comes to safeguarding the sport's future, there is nothing more important than funding and welfare, but it is also true that not every speed bump in racing's path has to be treated like the apocalypse – after all, racing in Britain has come a long way since King Charles II scripted the first set of rules for the Newmarket Town Plate in the 1660s.