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With one confirmed fatality and two injured horses being assessed by vets, I think we can safely assume that racing is going to be getting a serious kicking from the mainstream media. The BBC is probably rubbing its hands with delight.
I hope someone from the BHA is prepared to robustly defend the sport. Admirable though he is it should not be left to Kevin Blake.
Perhaps the CEO of the BHA might consider making an appearance and showing some leadership?
The BBC can get sucked into a black hole and turned into spaghetti as far as I’m concerned.
Yes they should blame the protesters for stressing the horses GoRV, but they won’t do that!
Lee Mottershead: “In the 175th running of surely the world’s most popular horserace, it was the Grand National that won.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
That would be almost the 50th Grand National I’ve watched, I love the race, I love racing and I always will.
But even I wince when I see the field get ushered round a fence with the ominous screens up and I’m sure many of the hundreds of millions worldwide watching felt, at the very least, the same discomfort.
The world has changed.
And outside the racing bubble few will be having it that the protestors caused the deaths – racing by its very existence caused the deaths will be the spin on it for many and never mind the fact these commercially-bred horses owe their very birth to racing existing.
At the very least many will be saying: “If you have to race and bet, why do you have to make them jump things? It looks far more dangerous than that Flat racing thingy stuff.”
Kevin Blake wiped the floor with that bloke on the telly the other day, but any gain there is more than wiped out by every equine fatality.
Tough road ahead, I’d say.
There will be younger members of this forum who might end up outliving Jump racing.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Sandy Thomson blames the protesters for Hill Sixteen’s demise:
Good luck with getting support outside the racing bubble for that notion, Sandy.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Thanks for the article Glad. But, if Mr. Thomson realizes that his horse became “hyper” why did he run him? And aren’t the vets supposed to have a look at them before the race?
As already mentioned, turning 10 times around Robbie Supple makes them all hyper…..
“There will be younger members of this forum who might end up outliving Jump racing.”
That is a distinct possibility.
Having said that, the number of people who attended Aintree today massively outnumbered the protestors and millions of people will have had their once a year bet.
The anti-racing crowd are very vocal on social media. But their views are not those of the majority. Vocal opinions on social media seldom are.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be back betting on the race after the weights come out next year and watching it.
It’s hardly the first equine fatality I’ve seen in the race, or even in racing generally.
But a person would have to be buried deep in the racing bubble not to be able to see how it looks to those with no interest in, let alone passion for, racing.
A “sport” where they bet on horses racing and not only do they still use whips the horses are required to take risks in races where they are required to jump obstacles.
And blaming today’s death elsewhere will look to many like a simple attempt to deflect blame by the perpetrators of this “sport” onto those protesting about it.
I’m actually surprised a relatively progressive writer like Lee Mottershead is spinning it as a victory for the race.
I think he will turn out to have been naively optimistic in the extreme in that regard.
The best news for the Grand National tonight is the next one is 364 days away.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Vocal opinions on social media are often hugely influential, even if they may not represent society more broadly.
I don’t believe today has been a pivotal moment for the sport, but it is in increasingly dangerous territory.
Ten years ago I knew plenty of once a year punters who would be commenting on social media about their National bets. That has all but dried up now as they know that such comments will be pounced on by someone accusing them of animal cruelty (and this person may often be a friend or acquaintance, not some random activist).
Very true about opinions on social media but today’s race seems to have affected more than the usual suspects with plenty rational views (which we may or may not agree with) about reducing field size, questioning why the race was run in such haste while participants were stressed etc. Depressingly also comments from the more extreme moaning about ITV Racing defence (pretty good off-script I thought). It’s like the conspiracy theorists. Doesn’t matter what facts you present.
Mr Thomson is clearly upset and his comments should be seen in that light.
This was clearly a difficult day for racing and it needs to be prepared for the coverage in the Sunday papers. However, while not wanting to sound complacent, we should not get caught up in doom and gloom.
Aintree was packed out today. It will be next year as well. Once a year punters will still have had their bet on the race. Millions around the world have watched.
I believe there is still a large amount of good will towards racing. It is still a popular spectator sport. Lots of people understand racing’s side of the argument. But they are not the sort of people who feel the need to tell everyone their opinion on twitter.
The BHA needs to stand up for the sport. To be fair, Julie Harrington’s statement today is a reasonable start.
A ban on horse racing would be catastrophic for the horses. Racing really needs to emphasise this and press the protestors on what they think will happen to the horses after a ban. If they ban the sport, it is not unreasonable to ask the protestors and the government to deal with all the racehorses that cannot race. Why should racing be responsible?
I suppose a large part of the problem is we now live in an increasingly risk averse society where many people appear to believe all risk is A Very Bad Thing. Arguments about a 0.2% risk of fatality through racing versus a massively higher likelihood of death as a result of a ban is not something the protestors are going to be willing to understand.
My defence (personal rationalisation) of racing remains the same tonight.
We are the dominant species, if we weren’t maybe horses would breed humans and treat us a lot worse than we collectively treat them.
As the dominant species we breed the other species for food, work and entertainment.
Racehorses are commercially bred.
No racing, no life.
And if you believe sentient life is precious would we be doing horses a favour by ceasing to breed them thus denying them life?
Throw in the fact that the life of a racehorse is better than that of many humans around the world and it further puts this into perspective.
Plus the very best ones have a high old time well into equine old age.
If Galileo could speak I reckon he’d say he had a life well lived.
And Frankel would say the same.
That rationalisation works for me.
Not sure I’d fancy spinning it on social media, though!
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"
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