Brave Cerium fractured skull in National

Cerium’s shock run to finish fifth in the John Smith’s Grand National looks even more remarkable after connections found he ran at least a circuit of the race with a fractured skull.

The eight-year-old was as big as 500-1 on the morning of the world’s greatest steeplechase having finished down the field in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but was backed into 100-1 before the off – the same price as race winner Mon Mome.