"When jumping fans of any age talk about a proper, old-fashioned steeplechaser, they have a strapping colossus of a horse in mind, with the strength to keep jumping and powering on through the deepest of winter ground when lesser rivals have cried enough. A horse like Pendil or The Dikler in the 1970s, Desert Orchid or Carvill's Hill a decade or so later, or Denman lugging top weight to victory in the Hennessy - when it still was the Hennessy, back in 2009."
"He is the latest in a long line of proper, old-fashioned steeplechasers to emerge from the historic Old Manor Stables, near Wantage in Oxfordshire, which stretches all the way back to the legendary Golden Miller, the only horse to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup five times in a row in the 1930s, and also includes three Grand National winners trained at the yard by the late Tim Forster in the 1970s and 1980s."
Mr Vango is a nine-year-old steeplechaser noted for a massive frame, stamina and old-school qualities built for deep winter ground. The horse was trained patiently at Old Manor Stables and did not race until age six after being acquired as a store horse. Old Manor Stables carries a historic legacy, including Golden Miller, several Grand National winners and recent stars like Carruthers and Coneygree. Mr Vango is trained by Sara Bradstock, who continued the yard’s traditions alongside her late husband, Mark, with breeding links to Lord Oaksey. A Welsh Grand National win would be especially celebrated.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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