National dream not over for Mr Vango after Sandown blip
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Thu 5 Feb 2026
Sara Bradstock has not ruled out Mr Vango’s hopes of featuring in the Randox Grand National despite feeling “all went against him” at Sandown last weekend.
The 10-year-old had succumbed to a short-head defeat to Twig on his seasonal reappearance in the Becher Chase over the famous fences at Aintree before his first start of 2026 came to a premature end when pulling up in Esher.
Bradstock has now set a path for the remainder of her stable star’s campaign, with the Eider Chase at Newcastle later this month or the Midlands Grand National in April, which he won last year, on the agenda.
A potential tilt at the world’s greatest steeplechase could still be on the cards regardless of his next target, with the going providing the ultimate obstacle for the Mr Vango team.
“He’s fine, he obviously wasn’t himself at Sandown,” Bradstock said. “We discovered that he’s had struggles with his corns.
“I think in the end is was not the right ground for him, not the right trip and not the right track. It all went against him.”
When asked if the performance affected any Grand National plans, the Old Manor Stables trainer added: “No, not really. We knew it wasn’t him and he did come home with sore feet.
“He will either go to the Eider or Midlands Grand National next, and then the Grand National is always only going to be if it’s the right ground for him.
“So we aren’t going to not run him in case it’s not the right ground (at Aintree). It is a month until the National (after the Midlands) this time.
“We are lucky because we know him so well, obviously he wouldn’t do both if he hadn’t completely come back to himself. But if he bounced back from the Midlands and it was the right ground, he would run in the National.”
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