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I had my first look at the course for real at the weekend and I didn’t think Becher’s looked that bad. I thought the Canal Turn looked more challenging overall.
The thing that struck me was that Becher’s and a couple of other fences seemed quite narrow. Becher’s in particular didn’t seem as wide as I had envisaged from TV footage. Hard to get perspective from the photos.
Mind, I wouldn’t want to be on top of a horse arriving at it at 30+ mph of course.
Fair points from Fitzgerald?
"I know everyone will say that was the fence that caused the horses to fall in the first place.
"Becher’s Brook is one of the iconic fences in the Grand National. They’ve levelled it off.
"I spoke to Robbie Power (rider of Killyglen) after the race and he said normally when you got to Becher’s there was a lot of room because the way the drop was before nobody, except the really brave men and the guys who were on horses they knew would he able to cope with the drop, went down the inside.
"It meant the whole field spread out when they got to Becher’s whereas now the drop’s been levelled off nobody moved off that inside. Because of that you had a bit of a pile-up situation and a knock-on effect almost.
"That’s the danger. Suddenly no-one wants to go to the outside of the fence. They all piled up on the inner, hence the reason you get a faller and one being brought down."
Would it be hard for the animal rights groups and growing group of people against the race to see evidence (if produced) that the steps taken to make the race safe/more humane (lowering the fences/allowing horses to bypass the fences/reducing the drop) may have had a sad side effect.
For what it’s worth, having now seen the race, I’d go for the option of less runners. I don’t see what else they could do to the course to make it safer, but I think something has to be done.
well here’s my tuppence worth ,,,
In 3 months time this will be all forgotten , next year Aintree will be packed to the rafters , a darn good festival of racing will take place , and the Grand National will happen as before …
I do not envisage any changes , BHA under Bittar will stand firm
Lets all get over it …with loose horses anything can happen anytime , regardless of field sizes
Next year lets hope for a safer result , but lets not forget the fantastic racing over the 3 days , it was a joy to behold
Lets not get into appeasement politics , it simply does not pay
Ricky
It’s not just the deaths; 40 runners, all of whom met pretty stringent new criteria on ratings, experience, stamina etc, set out and 25 of them failed to complete.
Think about that: 62.5% of supposedly well qualified steeplechasers were unable to get round the course.
Is that the ‘spectacle’ we all want to preserve?
Another great race – any further changes should be approached with caution I reckon.
On the Scots National thread posters have helpfully listed a rundown of all fatalities since 1979 – if speed or number of runners are such an issue then why has the first fence not been the scene of any fatalities over the years? I don’t know if such stats exist to analyse the speed over particular stretches of the course, but would imagine that the ‘cavalry charge’ to the first is unmatched for speed over the rest of the course and obviously all are standing. So if speed is not at issue then why not drop the number of fences by say four (of 30), it may increase overall speed, but – in a fittingly politically incorrect tone – speed doesn’t kill (unlike the bottom of the hill fence at Cheltenham), I would suggest, if the fatalities undergo analysis.
I agree with those who are suggesting that the overall character of Becher’s should undergo a drastic reduction now rather then piecemeal over the last few years.
I also think the issue of some investment by the racing authorities to look at clever ways to encouraging loose horses from the course should be considered – for racing generally. I don’t know if such a facility exists, but, with the tragic manner by which Syncronised died, as well as watching the unedifying sight of at least one loose horse getting its hind legs caught in the take off side of one of the early fences in Saturday’s races, it would be useful to examine.
If the by-pass trail round the fences is only open for use when an incident otherwise engages a fence then why not open them for the whole race to encourage loose horses?
If not already fully aware, the racing enthusiast should be quite certain that a mainstream media will exists to bring down the National, and in turn racing. I was abroad on Saturday and only had access to Sky News (UK) International. The mention of the National consisted of the racing been ‘marred’ by the deaths and footage of Syncronised being led by the photographer when he was caught from being loose. No footage of the race at all – no mention of the winner. If the politicians, of all or any persuasions, are being driven by the anti-lobby then it is time to look at a dramatic shift as they have the momentum. I don’t think it is enough to say that the race brings huge pleasure to many as I can name many who will simply not watch the race and many who – if they are told that the black screens are a horse or rider in distress – will immediately become completely disinterested or vocally political depending on whether alcohol has been taken! Whichever way, the anti-lobby will always have an ear if they get their pitch right. It is not worth risking the whole sport for.
lets not forget the fantastic racing over the 3 days , it was a joy to behold
Indeed the action on the Mildmay course was tremendous. Big Bucks, Follow The Plan, Darlan, Finians Rainbow, Simonsig, Sprinter Sacre, Oscar Whisky and others were all brilliant.
Lets not get into appeasement politics , it simply does not pay
Depends on who we’re trying to appease. I agree that the sport shouldn’t yield an inch for the sake of the uneducated and fickle masses but there are those within the sport who have genuine concerns regarding the race and those voices shouldn’t be discounted.
Just from first impressions, the congestion seemed worse than usual, canal particularly. I` d support a lower maximum field – 32
plucked out of the air sounds a good number.The handicapping is a difficult one. I suppose I`d favour a move away from expressly trying to attract high class horses.Have a condition that all entries must have completed a handicap steeplechase in the same year (not season)as the race before the weights are assessed. This might help us get more properly campaigned horses like yesterday`s magnificent winner rather than entries from those with hurdles campaigns or from horses who have been running lamentably until the weights come out.
Oh and slash the prize money.There seems to have been a much greater incidence of horses being injured after running loose -Synchronised, McKelvey,Graphic Approach, and the Richard Guest trained horse whose name escapes me. I know that`s difficult to deal with. Would outriders help at all?
Any race with a high number of runners can be hazardous – Coral Cup at Cheltenham had two fatalities. Am a bit sorry for Aintree it didn`t go better. Topham seemed to go well and Becher`s looked inoccuous there.
Just from first impressions, the congestion seemed worse than usual, canal particularly. I` d support a lower maximum field – 32
plucked out of the air sounds a good number.32 would mean that there was a reduction in entries and the National would retain its status as the race with the most runners in the calendar. Works for me.
I’d like to see more of an emphasis placed on stamina – I think horses should have to win over three miles, and I’d like to see winners of certain races (the Eider, Welsh National, Midlands National, Scottish National and Irish National) given automatic entries, should they wish to take them.
Of course, this wouldn’t have stopped Synchy and ATP running, but it would slow the race down and make it more of a test.
Oh, and, for Crying Out Loud, please, please, please water the course. If you have to dredge the Mersey to get the ground soft, do it.
Twitter=@PGHenn
So don't run, just like the others always do
also think the issue of some investment by the racing authorities to look at clever ways to encouraging loose horses from the course should be considered – for racing generally. I don’t know if such a facility exists, but, with the tragic manner by which Syncronised died, as well as watching the unedifying sight of at least one loose horse getting its hind legs caught in the take off side of one of the early fences in Saturday’s races, it would be useful to examine.
If the by-pass trail round the fences is only open for use when an incident otherwise engages a fence then why not open them for the whole race to encourage loose horses?
I think this is worth quoting. The loose horse issue is in fact the current main problem in my opinion. I’m not totally sure when the side run outs come in – but believe it or not that was for the loose horses and not for bypassing (they may have enhanced them for bypassing after Fitzgerald’s fall on L’Ami).
Watching my first rerun – and I’ve noted that the fences are not that much narrower than they used to be. Seems the run out has eaten into the road that ran on that side of the fence. The big problem is that the jockeys are only using half of the available fence. I think this is due to the more competitive nature of the race now. If you view an old 80s or 70s national on youtube they are spread all the way across the track and lots of the no hopers are just there to try and get round and are tailed off after 5 fences. Now you have 40 runners, all with a chance, all going down the outside and inner.
I don’t blame either fatality on crowding – but something probably needs to address it. The point earlier that On His Own may have fallen due to some crowding caused by bypassing the earlier fence.
Synchronised – IMO – breaks his leg on the flat between fences 10 and 11. You see him jump the 10th fine and then his action changes half way to the next. He then tries to jump the 11th and his bad leg causes him to crumple badly.
Looked at the course, there is a loose horse run out circular "trap" after the canal turn which in effect means you cannot bypass the canal turn.
If the politicians, of all or any persuasions, are being driven by the anti-lobby then it is time to look at a dramatic shift as they have the momentum.
If little else, and for all that I revile most else for which the party stands, one thing we can be quite sure of is that the National will not be wiped out under a Conservative administration.
Never mind the economic turnover the race generates – Cameron is too in thrall to the Chipping Norton set of his constituency and social circle even to consider it. It would not just be Charlie Brooks who’d be queueing up to throw him under the hooves of the open maiden field at the next Heythrop point-to-point fixture if he tried to enact a ban.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
duplicate post.
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
If the politicians, of all or any persuasions, are being driven by the anti-lobby then it is time to look at a dramatic shift as they have the momentum.
Never mind the economic turnover the race generates – Cameron is too in thrall to the Chipping Norton set of his constituency and social circle even to consider it.
gc
I take your point about banning it, but not entirely convinced that the National would easily escape the attentions of the Coalition’s leftwing as far as an appeasement strategy is considered. I think it is too easy a target – if Labour was in coalition with the Libs on Monday I think it might be a different story! Sorry – here endeth the politics!
Would it be hard for the animal rights groups and growing group of people against the race to see evidence (if produced) that the steps taken to make the race safe/more humane (lowering the fences/allowing horses to bypass the fences/reducing the drop) may have had a sad side effect.
I think this is true, for instance there are a number of posters on here who have only taken against the race in the last couple of years, why would that be?
Why weren’t they against it 5 or 6 years or even longer ago?
Why did the BBC show Foinavons National a few times every year?
Is it funny?This country is full of hypocrisy over the issue, BBC Breakfast had an item about a virus in sheep the other week and the reporter was in a field with a load of lambs gambolling about and to a man all the presenters said how cute the lambs were but the reporter finished the item by saying that the virus wasn’t a problem currently and wouldn’t affect us eating lamb, everyone just smiled.
It’s okay to slit millions of lambs throats for food but it is unnacceptable for racehorses to be injured or killed racing.
I don’t find that acceptable.Racing needs to stand up and be counted against these hypocrites.
As for all these people who profess to have the solutions to the apparent problems, knee jerk responses to what happens in a year here and a year there never solved anything.
I’ve read a lot of rubbish on here, some from people who should know better, the Aintree fences are part of the race, without them you have no Grand National.
I’ve even seen it suggested reducing the field to 20, that is laughable, it’s only a few weeks ago since Steeplechasing started a thread bemoaning the fact that there might be less than 40 runners in the race due to the new restrictions.I’ve no problem with the race and it seems as popular as ever but it’s not compulsory to like it and everyone’s free to move on to something else.
and the Richard Guest trained horse whose name escapes me
Tyneandthyneagain, was it? He was ex-Richard Guest by the time he was killed in the National, having been acquired by Howard Johnson as part of the dispersal of most of Norman Mason’s string. I’m not 100% certain how he perished, but half have it in the back of my mind that he might have run into the ditch in front of The Booth (fence 11 / 27) whilst loose.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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