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Grand National weights will be out on Tuesday, which will be followed by the plot horses, lying long unseen like daffodil bulbs, suddenly blooming everywhere.
Why not announce the weights two weeks before the race?
They argue that it adds to the build up, but in truth no one is paying any notice to anything other than Cheltenham at this point.
The Tuesday after Cheltenham would be the ideal time to reveal weights. Scupper those plots which make the season demoralising to watch at times while also giving everyone as much time as reasonably possible to get their marks up if they need a few more pounds to get in.
Make the build-up a neat three week affair:
Week 1: Weight reveal.
Week 2: Final scratchings.
Week 3: Declarations and race.The sooner they do away with this corporate weights lunch two months in advance the better.
“They argue that it adds to the build up, but in truth no one is paying any notice to anything other than Cheltenham at this point.
The Tuesday after Cheltenham would be the ideal time to reveal weights. Scupper those plots which make the season demoralising to watch at times while also giving everyone as much time as reasonably possible to get their marks up if they need a few more pounds to get in.
Make the build-up a neat three week affair:
Week 1: Weight reveal.
Week 2: Final scratchings.
Week 3: Declarations and race.The sooner they do away with this corporate weights lunch two months in advance the better.”
Spot on. They could still have their lunch to unveil the entries.
I have to agree with all those who say that the weights should be unveiled closer to the race.
One of the fundamental rules of racing is (to paraphrase) that horses should be ridden to obtain the best possible finishing position.
The current Aintree weight unveiling is therefore in diametric opposition to the rules of racing.
We all know that the handicap system is open to abuse, and always has been, but to allow blatant cheating in what is still, to many people, the biggest (only?) race of the year is absurd.
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