THERE was barely time for Venetia Williams and her King's Caple yard to draw breath after the Cheltenham Festival, as Charlie Deutsch rode Tanganyika to a superb second in the £160,000 JenningsBet Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter.

But there was disappointment for Sellack neighbour Ryan Potter, whose 4/1 favourite Knockanore fell away from two fences out and had to settle for sixth.

There was a near capacity 10,000 crowd at the Staffordshire course as London National champion Mr Vango, ridden by Jack Tudor, held on to claim victory and the £90,000 first prize by just 1L from Venetia's seven-year-old 14/1 shot.

The 11/1 winner, trained by Sarah Bradstock, led early on and was at or near the front throughout the epic 4 1/4-mile 25-fence race of 16 runners.

Mr Vango had a lead of 2L approaching the last but was all out holding off the fast finishing Tanganyika, who secured a £34,000 pay day taking second by a distance from Passing Well in third.

Victory would have secured Deutsch's 250th win for Venetia's Wyeside yard, but it wasn't long in coming, with seven-year-old 4/1 grey Intimate winning the very next race – the £16,000 JenningsBet Handicap Chase – by 3/4L from Sam Twiston-Davies’ 15/2 mount Sageburg County.

Williams’ Lagonda also took second in the £11,000 Mares' Handicap Chase the following day at Market Rasen under Shane Quinlan, the 6/1 10-year-old chasing home Olly Murphy's Space Voyage to land a £3,000 pay day.

And Ryan Potter's 15/2 chance Ithaka matched that at the Lincolnshire course in the £10,000 Handicap Hurdle, just 1 1/4L behind Grangeclare Diego under jockey Conor Ring, to claim £2,600 in prize money.

Hentland trainer Tom Symonds was in the winner's enclosure at Chepstow the same day as well, with 10/1 shot Dromlac Jury under Ben Poste taking third in the £10,500 Mares' Handicap Hurdle.

Jump race eyes are now turning to the world's greatest steeplechase – the Grand National – at Aintree on Saturday, April 5.

Venetia's stable star L'Homme Presse – who headed the British Gold Cup entries at Cheltenham before being forced to withdraw – is currently still entered and can be backed at 50/1, which seems an outlandish price for this season's Cotswold Chase winner.

Betfair Chase two-time champion stablemate Royale Pagaille – sixth for the third time in last week’s Gold Cup – is also a possible starter at a way out 125/1, even more of an outsider than another Venetia horse Fontaines Collonges at 100/1.

But forget the odds, Williams knows all about upsetting the odds, scooping the National itself with 100/1 shot Mon Mome under the much missed Liam Treadwell in 2009, a win which famously cleaned out the Ross-on-Wye bookies.