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Those running scared of the once a year watchers how do you envisage them bring an end to national hunt racing? The government are not going to legislate to throw thousands out of work, and what would happen to all the horses they supposedly want to protect? Their weight is increased by the authorities pandering to them.
Whatever we old purists think doesn’t really matter. Anybody here going to stop betting or watching racing because of Saturday?
The 90% or whatever it is who’s only racing interest is the National, how would they have come away from it on Saturday, happier than before? That’s all that matters.
I think there is one more alteration they must make; If Glengouly hadn’t found a leg when leading over the Canal Turn there would have been an almighty pile up. They need to rail the landing side to remove the cut-across advantage. As it is, it’s just a matter of time until a major incident there.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion on the Grand National, including those once a year viewers or once a year punters… and even those who don’t watch / bet.
It is naive to think those who don’t watch racing very often don’t matter.
Do you really think anyone other than bookmakers are going to be interested in sponsoring the Grand National or any race if it is seen by the non-Racing public as cruel?
Sponsoring races would become a suicidal thing to do for any business.
Value Is EverythingJoe, I agree with you about the Canal Turn. It’s a pity, because it’s the only fence left with character; it’s the one fence Aintree has that nowhere else has (yeah nobody else has little bits of plastic covered in lawn clippings either but whatevs).
But it’s my trepidation fence now rather than the first or Bechers or the Chair. On the approach I’m staring at the leaders and the first few on the inside thinking, “Don’t stuff it up, please, don’t stuff it up”. I wonder if they will start the change now or just wait till there’s a pileup (with accompanying spectacular photos and video in the media) then be all surprised, panic and knee jerk some overkill change whilst solemnly intoning “lessons learned”.‘The 90% or whatever it is who’s only racing interest is the National, how would they have come away from it on Saturday, happier than before? That’s all that matters’
All that matters to who?
And when a horse dies in the future, and they supposedly come away unhappy, what happens? You are just advocating continuing to dig one great big never ending hole for the sport.
The picture accompanying Chris Cook’s article shows this year’s runners jumping the Chair. It looks…well, it looks kind of…small. Latenightpass isn’t a big horse, but it isn’t making him look small. Minella Crooner and Foxy Jacks look like they’re not getting very high but neither they- nor any of the horses or jockeys in the photo- look remotely concerned that they are jumping a Big Jump. All of the jockeys have a tucked, foward seat- none have a defensive hunting seat you used to see in photos of jockeys landing over the National fences. Watching the video of it, none of the horses in the photo seemed to lose any momentum at all (to be fair to Minella Crooner in the video it looks like he jumps more cleanly than the still).
Years ago I used to watch the race thinking OMG imagine you had to ride over those. Maybe I could jump Valentines? On a good horse. With my heart going a million miles an hour. Now I look at the photos and video of the Chair and Bechers et al think, yeah actually I could ride over those (not all of them, I’m far too unfit). But yeah if I had to I could, and I would probably even do it on a horse that wasn’t a particularly good jumper. And I wouldn’t even be puking with fear beforehand.I’m glad the wooden cores are gone. Some of those falls were horrible. I did notice the field reduction; with a couple of inevitable withdrawals, the field was double decimated and it shows. If the Bland National is the price we pay to keep the sport then fine. I’ll still watch it. I’m a bit worried about the inevitable unlucky fatality- Pikar died in a hurdling fall, and if Corach had landed a bit awkwardly he could have died like you can die falling down the stairs, or one of those horrible swinging leg breakdowns between fences could happen- if enough thoroughbreds gallop enough miles around Aintree, some day it will happen, and “HORSE DIES IN GRAND NATIONAL HORROR FALL” cancels out years’ worth of “GRAND NATIONAL PASSES OFF WITH JUST A FEW SOFT UNSEATS, AND ALL THE HORSES WERE OK IN THE END EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEM WERE A BIT TIRED”
Apologies, I should have made clearer that it is all that matters in practice, in the cold light when emotions are removed from it. Of course it matters to individuals, personally, who’ve been in the sport for years like we have. I’d much rather that all they had done was reduce the drop at Becher’s and remove the timber cores. But that opinion matters not one jot to the race, the sport, and its future. Threads like this are important for grieving, if you like, but nothing we can say or do will put the race back as it was.
The sport will be banned one day. I won’t live long enough to see it, but it’ll happen, perhaps by 2050. It’ll certainly be long gone by the end of the century, perhaps even flat racing too. The length of time we have before that will be down to public opinion and the way that is manipulated.
I enjoyed the race but I don’t care if it exists in the programme or not. I have never been endeared to it and more often than not don’t bother betting in it so I certainly wouldn’t grieve it. Racing would move on without it because that is life.
The things I want most in life are the things that I can't win.
‘The government are not going to legislate to throw thousands out of work’
Sure about that? Parliament is long odds on to pass this ludicrous smoking ban idea which will surely cost jobs one way or another.
Back on topic and it is interesting to read further opinions on this. Understandably it’s an emotiove topic that evokes strong opinion on all sides.
As someone said, we are where we are. Perhaps in my ideal world some of these changes wouldn’t be made but as Ginger says, they have to happen to give the sport a chance of surviving, for a bit longer at least. As I said before, it is not about appeasing racing’s most vocal critics (nothing will ever be enough) but winning over those in the middle ground. As things are we have a chance of doing that.
I do think things should be left as they now are for some time. The race in its current form now has to be given a chance.
There is one alteration I would like Aintree to make next year and that’s to draw a thick red line something they have seemingly failed to have done since tinkering with the race/fences back in 1990.
There were two fatalities at Aintree on the Mildmay track but I would hazard a guess that they will put that down to bad luck. That is never the cause on the National track as we know.
Marlingford, thank you for your kind words. I am sorry you didn’t get to see the ‘proper fences’ up close. They really were quite something. I wonder what the course builders of 1984 would think of today’s portable Becher’s? Incidentally, in those days, vestiges of the old flat track and also the motor racing circuit were still clearly visible. Altogether, just a great experience.
Astral, while I share your wish for an end to the tinkering, I can see only further changes ahead. Following all those brutal unseatings, The Chair must be in line for another ‘trim’ very soon and I doubt whether the other open ditches will avoid further easing.
Having written all that, I accept the race is now what it is and that it will endure, maybe even flourish, for some time yet. I feel rather sorry for those who would not mourn its loss and who see it as little more than another betting opportunity. Perhaps had they walked the course on a sunny Spring day in 1984, they might think differently.
I don’t see the connection between smoking and national hunt racing. Smoking kills loads of people every year, and clogs up the nhs system. It’s the best thing Sunak has done.
Back to the National as I asked previously can the doomsters please map out the route to the sport being banned? Who bans it?
The governemnt bans it under pressure from the electorate that has been riled by those dedicated to ending animal participation in human entertainment. There are a few surveys out there showing the much increased awareness among the young generation of and sympathy to the fate of animals in general.
A fifty year trip back in a time machine would see your question asked in pretty much the same words in the smokey, elite rooms favoured by the hunting fraternity.
“In those days, vestiges of the old flat track and also the motor racing circuit were still clearly visible”.
Most of the motor racing circuit still exists. The only part which has disappeared is Tatts Corner, where the Sefton and Derby stands are now located. The long line of bookmakers in front of the main stands are on the old home straight.
“The governemnt bans it under pressure from the electorate that has been riled by those dedicated to ending animal participation in human entertainment.”
It would be nice to think racing might make an effort to counter that narrative and explain why banning racing would be catastrophic for horses. It could also explain how those dedicated to ending animal participation in human entertainment also want to ban the eating of meat, rewild all agricultural land and ban people from owning pets. Let’s see how much public support they would have then.
Thanks CAS for that update. Despite all my gushing about 1984, I haven’t been back since! Good to hear that the circuit hasn’t vanished without trace. Hope we can say the same about (what remains of) the National course in 30 years’ time.
Not so long ago, this smoking ban would have been unthinkable. If the government is no longer afraid the all-powerful smoking lobby then what chance does racing’s mostly inept leadership have against a future government hostile to the sport?
For the record, I do not smoke, never have and wouldn’t be affected by this ban anyway but that’s a topic that’s been discussed elsewhere here.
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