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Although not happy with the lastest dilution to the iconic annual Grand National heritage I am neither particularly knowledgeable or keen about the NH code. I share the concerns of everyone in relation to the safety of horse and jockey. Here are a couple of suggestions re safety that merit consideration. Perhaps others might throw in their suggestions after any comment is made on these two.
1) Jockeys should feel empowered to ease down responsibly at the business end of the race if they suddenly sense that they may be running on empty and are facing an obstacle ahead with increased and unacceptable risk. Between their own adrenalin and the expecations of others they probably sometimes feel obliged to follow through to the end of the race in most circumstances. The purpose of this is obviously to reduce the number of “tired falls” at the last obstacles. While this is something done already the jockeys should feel that they have public licence to formally and quite visibly take such action and to report to stewards, medics and vets as necessary without fear of adverse comment from connections or the public.
2) The Medics/Vets convoy following each race at times appear to me on TV to be too close to the trailing horse(s) Some of these equines can be obviously be quite fatigued and may be facing an obstacle ahead. Can we be sure with their 360 degree vision or any other sense that they are not aware and distracted by these distant moving vehicles? They are not at home on their gallops! Is there an official distance that these vehicles must stay behind the trailing horse(s)? Perhaps the jockey should feel free to pull up if he becomes aware of too much proximity in such circumstances. There is balance to be struck but I feel the support vehicles look too close at times – even once or twice at Cheltenham this afternoon – although the camera angle may well have been deceptive. These vehicles also looked very visible at last year’s Irish Grand National but strangely they were not obvious this year. A very secondary concern is that the PR optics don’t look great when the Safety vehicles are over visible on the TV camera and heighten the sense of some that the sport is cruel.
Good idea for a thread zilzal.
I would like to see stewards’ reports detail all equine racecourse fatalities, and their causes as far as is known at the time of writing.
This will help to demonstrate that the sport is taking such matters seriously. Over time, it may also help to identify risk areas to address.
It is ridiculous that at present these reports mention things such as that a horse gurgled, but not that it is now dead.
I know I’ve asked this before but I’ve forgotten what the answer was. Does a horse only get an adjusted handicap mark if it finishes a race?
1. A chasing debutant should run at least three times in a beginners chase, unless it wins first time out. I’m not a fan of the idea to run a horse with no chasing experience in a handicap chase.
It can go badly wrong, especially at the lower level.2. The downhill obstacle (especially the hurdle) is a very tricky one at Plumpton. I think roughly 70% of their injuries/fatalities occur at those obstacles. Most likely the horses gather too much momentum when finishing their downhill run. To ask them to jump two fences over a shorter distance than usual makes it even trickier.
3. Also agree with the reports about fatalities as already explained by Marlingford.
Moe,
No, a horse that is pulled up would normally be dropped by the handicapper, unless the PU was due to something other than being well beaten – e.g injury, or being badly hampered by a loose horse etc.
And a horse can be raised even if it falls at one of the last two fences. So for example, six lengths clear at the last and still on the bridle, then falls, would be treated as the easy winner for handicapping purposes.
And as a famous example demonstrated, you can be raised for winning a race from which you are subsequently disqualified, as when The Young Master won at Wincanton. He was DQ’d because he wasn’t qualified to run in that race and the owners never got any prize money, but his handicap mark was put up from 130 to 144.
Thanks ap. I used to think that was the reason why sometimes jockeys persevered with horses that were way out of contention, something that would sometimes result in tired falls at the last with tragic consequences. I felt so sorry for The Young Master at the time and was always gunning for him throughout his career because of it.
Plumpton is a challenge. Probably more of a challenge than the National course now on that downhill section. I think there have been 4 fatalities at Plumpton in 2024. If Animal Rising turned up there (some chance) they might get more than a flea in the ear.
Something I was looking at a few years ago was the number of horses fatally injured whilst wearing headgear of some kind. Has that ever been looked into by the BHA?
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