Aintree fences (not the national ones)

[MikkyMo73]

How many horses should have fell this week but didn’t? Are the Aintree fences too soft?

1. Gungadu went straight through the 14th – but survived.
2. Kauto Star clattered a few before landing on top of the 2nd last – but survived.
3. Bambi De L’Orme made a shocking mistake at the first but went straight through it rather than fall.
4. Marcel made an horrific mistake at the 6th, but survived and finished stronger than most.
5. Cedrus Libani made at least two dreadful errors but stayed on his feet.
6. Starzaan should have been down at the 11th, but instead it was the fence that was damaged.
7. Battlecry made a mistake at the 2nd last that would usually result in a fall – but survived
8. Bible Lord. How many serious mistakes did this horse get away with?

To me it’s the fences that are getting damaged rather than the horses coming to grief. In a way I like it, the horses aren’t getting injured by falling, but they are having the stuffing knocked out of them through their mistakes and are no winning – after all, if you can’t jump you shouldn’t win.

Has anyone got any opinions? Are the fences softer and safer, or is it great jockeymanship that is keeping the horses from hitting the deck?

Mike

[graysonscolumn]

I think someone mentioned on another thread that they’ve been made an increment easier this year.

Not before time, really, as at its worst to me the Mildmay constitutes a glorified, and rather dangerous, gaff track, the stiffness of whose fences hasn’t always provided a genuinely fair test.

I’m sure Bible Lord in particular wouldn’t have got round last season with yesterday’s mistakes. However, the fences were still testing enough to make sure that, rightly, he forfeited a winning chance with those errors.

gc

Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.

[moehat]

Yes, I said I think it was Norman Williamson who said that the fences were softer than a few years ago….I’ve always said that the MIldmay fences terrify me on such a fast, flat track. However, someone also said that they thought there might be a problem with the take off side at the second last, as so many horses were having problems there.

[High Ken]

What is the point of fences at a top track such as Aintree if you can walk straight through them?

If Kauto had been in racing just 10 years ago he would have more letters next to his name than numbers.

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