I totally appreciate where you are coming from Dubacilla; the race has indeed lost some of its charm in recent times.
There has been another thread on here today talking about the 1977 National. Putting aside Red Rum, the names and images of the supporting cast such as Andy Pandy, Boom Docker and Sage Merlin are hugely evocative. I doubt that memories of recent Nationals will stir the hearts of racing fans in the same way in the 2070s.
It’s almost reached the point now where I’d like to see a consolation race for horses rated over 110 who can’t get into the main field. My hope would be that this contained more of the old staying handicapper types who used to make the event so appealing.
But who am I kidding? These days such a race would likely be full of Mullins and Elliott’s lesser lights, as well as loads of novices trying their luck. The Becher Chase is probably as close to an old-style National as we are going to get nowadays.
I reluctantly accept the changes that have been made to the National, and on the whole think it fairest that the highest rated horses should be those who get to run. I’m not a big fan of the winners of certain races getting automatic entry, but think rules could be tightened further e.g. the horse must have won a chase over at least three miles.
The magic of the National has faded, but it hasn’t died for me. The race has had to evolve to survive, and I think what we have now is about as good as we can continue to have.