Punters are held in contempt more than any other racing stakeholder - and now they've been stitched up again

Mr Vango thrives in the mud. That point would have been central to many, if not most, punters' thinking ahead of Saturday's feature Midlands Grand National. On soft or heavy ground, he would be very near the top of the shortlist.

The going at Uttoxeter on Saturday was officially good to soft. The GoingStick reading of 5.1 on the chase course was lower than had been reported on days that were called 'soft' in November and December, but it had been largely dry, to the point that the track had been watered. Bettors would have had to take clerk of the course Elizabeth O'Flaherty at her word. 

Surprise! It was a quagmire. Mr Vango made most of the running and led home seven finishers in the Midlands National from the 16 that set off. Every winning time on the card was more than 1.2 seconds per furlong above the Racing Post standard. Topspeed and Timeform both made the ground soft.