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Animal Rights activists attacking racing because of the Grand National is like music critics attacking the entire genre of 80s music because of Toyah Wilcox.
Yes, she gave an appalling look to the decade, but she was by no means representative of it.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Whoooooaaaaaawww don’t knock Toyah , it’s a mystery is a feckin classic , she could could act to , Jesus h she was in Quadrophenia …… Bell boy !!
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pilgarlic. Someone posted three pictures on Facebook showing how horses are now bunching more and more towards the inside of the track. Of course, in the past the better jumpers took the inside route so the horses tended to be more splayed out across the track. Everything done to make the race safer just seems to create more problems.
If you look at the horses that fell or unseated at the first two fences:
1st fence casualties:
Hill Sixteen 80/1
Cloudy Glen 80/1
Recite A Prayer 80/1
Diol Ker 100/1
Galvin 22/12nd fence:
Darasso 100/1
The Big Breakaway 50/1
Fury Road 33/1With the exception of Galvin (2nd ever fall) and Fury Road (first ever fall) the rest of the fallers/unseats were among the biggest outsiders in the field. I’m not suggesting that no 100/1 shots should be allowed to run in the GN, but this outcome is no coincidence I think. Maybe the field should be reduced to 30 or 32 runners, but even in the 1996 renewal with 27 runners there were two unseats at the first and a faller at the third.
Widening the first two or three fences would be no help either, as it would only narrow the path in case of a bypass the 2nd time round.
I think a standing start and the use of the entire width of the fences could be a reasonable solution without altering too much. The explanation about the blinkers over the GN fences (offered by Tonge and someone else) makes a lot of sense. You have to see everything, not only as a jockey, but also as a horse.
“Is the Grand National a problem racing doesn’t need”?
Fair point Corm.
But trouble is Just as much as the number of fatalities, an equally important reason the Grand National is targeted by protesters is it’s “the people’s race”. The race where many non-racing people get involved. So gets them publicity and an easy target. If the Grand National never existed the problem would not be anywhere near as grand. However it does exist and therefore if it were now cancelled campaigners would just see it as their first victory. They’ll be after the whole of jump racing next and then flat.Value Is EverythingRuby, I think that’s entirely a coincidence re the betting prices. All of the runners in this year’s race were high quality chasers. Hill Sixteen had jumped round the course twice before. The Big Breakaway placed in this season’s Welsh National. Cloudy Glen won last season’s Ladbrokes Trophy. If these horses were unsuited to the task, then no horses are suited.
Modern Nationals contain none of the no-hopers from the years of old. Also fancied horses such as Delta Work and Mr Incredible met with mishaps yesterday.
I agree the standing start and the banning of blinkers are worth looking at further though.
Marlingford, it was a high-class renewal with the right horses filling out the first 6-7 places. What I was saying is that even staying or course specialists had a very tough time to get going, to find their rhythm. No way they didn’t deserve to be in the line-up.
Just one horse I didn’t want to see in the race: Cape Gentleman. Why? Well, first his trainer has to train a few winners in order to prove the well-being of his stable: 183 days without a winner and 106 straight losers tell a different story. He was lucky with Hewick in the Gold Cup (in fact, extremely lucky) and now this one also sustained a life-threatening injury in a top event. We are not talking about a maiden hurdle round Kilbeggan or Tramore, this is a proper race at the highest level. If, you’re not in form bad things will happen. Applies to ALL SPORTS, why not to horse racing?
A more positive update re Cape Gentleman
“They initially said the horse might not make it because they thought the tendon was severed, but the owner said no, so the horse will hopefully come back to Ireland with me for six months before going to America for his retirement and a good life.”
Darasso (never fallen in 41 career starts over obstacles) was UR due to being badly hampered as was Recite a Prayer – also never fallen in his career which included this season’s Becher Chase and continued to jump well when loose before he veered off the course and met with his accident.
Ruby, that is good to hear re Cape Gentleman; let’s hope he has a long and happy retirement.
I don’t for a moment think it contributed to his injury, but Cape Gentleman had never won a chase over three miles or further. I think this should be a minimum requirement for such an arduous test, rather than the current softer target of placing at least fourth.
I acknowledge this would have eliminated previous winners Rule The World and Noble Yeats among others, but the current rule is not a good look.
“If you’re not in form bad things will happen. ”
What has stable form got to do with a horse being struck into? Mullins is in scorching hot form and bad things happened to The Gunner Yeats, Tenzing and Dark Raven.
The Gilligans have had one winner a few months ago out of 85 runners in Britain and Ireland this season, should they not have been allowed to run their outsider who finished placed 6th?
Henry de Bromhead had rotten form earlier in the year, should he have been allowed to run horses at Cheltenham?
Recite A Prayer sustained a fractured eye socket when running loose:
https://www.racingtv.com/news/willie-mullins-reports-all-will-be-well-with-recite-a-prayer
I don’t know if a 6th place worth 30k in a GN is such an amazing feat…..
But anyway, you feel better, if your stable is in form. Henry has number of horses and knows how to get them fit for the big stage. I think it’s a huge difference between him and Shark Hanlon, so let’s not compare apples with pears.Marlingford, I agree with you about the requirement to have won over three miles or further and I didn’t think that the stable form causes an injury, but stats never lie. It’s no coincidence that stables in better form lose fewer horses than the ones with very poor form. I think you should have a few winners if you run 106 horses over a period of roughly six months. Would you visit a doctor with a similar record or rather one like Mr. Mullins?
“I don’t for a moment think it contributed to his injury, but Cape Gentleman had never won a chase over three miles or further. I think this should be a minimum requirement for such an arduous test,”
Be careful what you wish for, the race would end up packed with ancient Giggi/Elliott has beens.
I’m not entirely convinced that would be a bad thing Green. The race used to be full of has-beens, but the safety improvements now mean we have faster and better horses tearing around, which has introduced different risks. Bring back the has-beens I say!
Shark bought a mare out of Closutton and won a grade 1 with her. He performed similar feats with Hewick. He discovered Rachael Blackmore and put her on the road to stardom. He won decent graded races with Hidden Cyclone, not just “maiden hurdles at Kilbeggan and Tramore*”. Just because he is a big ginger culchie who deals cattle and got his nickname on the hurling field doesn’t mean he can’t train horses. Did you watch the video made before Cheltenham where he has his arm round Hewick (out in the field I noticed) and talked at length about Hewick and Cape Gentleman? He is a proper stockman and horseman.
*today’s maiden hurdle winner round culchie gaff Tramore, MacDermott, may be worth watching. By Saint des Saints, has Cadoudal in the pedigree, future staying chaser??
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