GN going and ignorant handicapper

[Steeplechasing]

I think TR is, understandably being hyped as much for his versatility, consistency and small size as for what he’s achieving formwise.

I’m cherry-picking, I know, but over 2 furlongs farther and much stiffer fences, Red Rum ran second to a dual Gold Cup winner (with another GC winner in The Dikler behind him) trying to give L’Escargot 11lbs. He was beaten 15 lengths. I’ll leave it to collateral from gurus to figure out what kind of performance Crisp put up the year before in giving 23lbs to Rummy in a record-breaking time.

[GoldenMiller34]

Thanks, Gladiateur and Ginger. You’ll find it interesting when I get round to typing up the mid-70s, Joe.

Intelligent points as always, Ginger. Perhaps Mr Greenwood had imbibed a couple of extra glasses of fine wine!

In terms of overall quality of the field, don’t forget that until roughly the mid 1950s the race would attract nearly all the top chasers and he did say “all time”. I guess he touched a nerve lol.

Another thing I’ve done for fun is to rate each GN to find the all round best. Not solely per quality but in four categories: quality of field/finishers, epic nature of performance/s, competitiveness of finish, drama. Each category marked from 0-6. 2019 will score highly in the second category for TR’s epic feat so is likely to beat 2016-2018 which all scored a total of 13.

Best scores:
19 – 1934 (what a surprise!)
18 – 1973, 1927
17 – 1977, 1971, 1988, 2012, 1974
(last 16: 2015)

Worst scores:
4 – 1883, 1857, 1837

Here is the first para of the discussion section of my 1883 page:

The antithesis to the superb race of 1882, the 1883 Grand National was all round as poor a renewal as there had ever been. It lacked drama, a competitive finish, an epic performance and quality in depth. The contemporary press was scathing re the lack of the latter element, although in fairness its view was a tad harsh and certainly relative as we need only to look back to the period between the mid-1850s and mid-1860s to find far worse in that regard. The ninth victorious mare, Zoedone, who had been interrupted in her preparation for the 1882 National due to coughing, was stronger as a 6-y-o, game and a good jumper. Comprehensively winning her battle, that raged for over a circuit, with the favourite, Zitella (whom, along with her stablemate Mohican, paddock judges were unanimous in saying looked overdone by Henry Linde), Zoedone conveyed the Austro-Hungarian nobleman Count Kinsky, who had been inspired by Lord Manners’s triumph last year, to the first riding success by a non-British/Irish person. William (only known to his friends as Jenks) Jenkins is widely shown as Zoedone’s trainer, however, whilst he held the licence, information from several contemporary sources suggests that Snowy Harding, himself a former licence holder, did the actual training of the horse. The mare was part of the joint third smallest field in Grand National history, the paltriest turnout since 1838. I alluded to the dearth in quantity and quality of British-trained chasers in 1881’s discussion and the paucity now appeared to have spread to Ireland. Perhaps more pertinently, it seems that the owners of what decent class horses that there were around at this time were often reticent to run them in the Aintree National because they felt there was too much galloping required and not enough leaping, that the obstacles were too small, and that the course should be fully railed.

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