RSPCA mood ahead of Grand National changes announcement

[Gingertipster]

The thought of horses crowding towards the inner did go through my mind Moehat. Came up with this idea.

Replace Becher’s Brook with a fence with the same drop on the landing side as take off. However, the bigger drop on the inner did help space the runners out. So to encourage some to take the fence more towards the outer, why not make the fence "unique" by gradually slanting it? Higher towards the inner, and lower (easier to jump) towards the outer.

However, one possible problem with that might be the slant left to right (as the jockeys look at it) encouraging horses to jump right-handed away from the left-handed bend? Does that happen?

Admiralofthefleet might be able to throw some light on to that one.

May be it is not neccessary to make any slant, just a normal fence. Foinavon and Canal Turn have bends afterwards and have fewer casualties. There’s the same crowding problem with today’s Becher’s. Most horses ignoring both the inner rail (too difficult) and the outer (lose too much ground) jumping the fence about a third of the way along the fence; where most grief happens, fallers and those brought down.

As did go through my mind, slanting Bechers left to right, lower on the outer and higher nearer the turn – seems not possible. I had a word with Grand National winning jockey and now trainer Brendan Powell at Newbury. He thought the slant would cause horses to naturally jump right-handed, away from the turn. So I’ll have to think again on that one Kifill.

Value Is Everything

[Kifill]

I have misunderstood you – by "slant" I thought you meant that the fence is not met head-on but at an angle, which it is, more so than any other except the 12th/28th (which does not have a bend immediately after and does not have a drop on the landing side)

[Factorman]

Put the start back to original place, place 1 or maybe 2 practice fences (brush hurdles maybe) before the “first” fence to establish a stride pattern rather than an all-out gallop to first fence.

The practice fences could be pulled away for the beginning of the second circuit.

Leave the course as-is from now on to stop the death by a thousand cuts from the lily livered liberals.

[runandskip]

what i would do is not move the start but get rid of bechers(just another fence thanks to the do-gooders) and valentines and move foinavon and canal turn a furlong closer to the stands thus reducing the distance to four miles.

[Author]

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