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They are supposed to be a lot easier than let’s say 5 or 10 years ago. But I can’t recall to have seen such a high numbers of falls and unseats like this year in the first two days. The ground is suitable and the horses are fit, so there should be a lot more finishers. The two winners were no fluke and proper horses for the National fences. Could it be that just too many owners and trainers are willing to risk their horses more often now in such races thinking that they will somehow manage to get round? I mean the fences might have become easier, but I don’t think that all the horses were suited by them.
This Aintree in general seems to have had quite a few fallers, not including the national fences.
To my mind, there seems to have been far more fallers in the last two days,compared to Cheltenham a month back.
I have noticed that as well. Especially the final hurdle seems very tricky, whereas the final fence (Mildmay Course) never seems to have any fallers. One thing I was wondering about is whether horses have to face into the sun when entering the straight. Think back of all Cheltenham fallers….. most of them fell in the straight and NOT all were on the final circuit. Whereas the back straight was almost free from fallers.
I think it shows that the Grand National course is still the best test of galloping and jumping, despite the way the Anaglog’s Daughter Twitter account drones on. The breed is smaller and weaker than it used to be, so it figures that the fences had to shrink too.
This week has also been a justification for ‘watering to maintain’ good-to-soft conditions. There have been some X-rated falls, particularly in the Topham and Melling Chase. These might have had much more serious consequences without water on the course. Just one more day to get through to shut Animal Aid up for a year!
It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much carnage over the National fences. I didn’t know where to look. Never have I squirmed in my chair more watching a race. All we can do is cross fingers and pray for better tomorrow.
I posted on the GN thread that someone on twitter mentioned that Aintree had found a way to intertwine the spruce rather than just piling it on loose. Having watched both races over the fences at this meeting, I’d say they’ve definitely done something. Horses are not hurdling through now as they’ve done in the past two years, and whatever it is Aintree has come up with, it’s proving very effective.
Perhaps the increased number of fallers is partially down to complacency among jockeys. I think that lesson will have been learned.
But, as ever, some of these falls are happening among horses who reach a point where they cannot figure out how to handle the fences. Newcomers see these bloody big green things instead of the normal small black birch. A few really take to them; some go out early in a panic and others seem to get so far then run dry of ideas, either overjumping and landing so steeply they/the jock can’t survive (I suspect this is the most common outcome), or just guessing completely and ploughing into them. One thing to be thankful for is the replacement of the old wooden cores with soft rubber. A BD or PU after being unable to keep up a hot pace on good ground will, I suspect be the highest proportion of non-completes tomorrow.
This GN will go a long way toward telling us whether Aintree have found a relatively ‘safe’ way of returning the fences to the their former glory. I’ll be having a bet on 10 or fewer finishers.
It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much carnage over the National fences. I didn’t know where to look. Never have I squirmed in my chair more watching a race. All we can do is cross fingers and pray for better tomorrow.
Carnage? Anyone would think there’d been multiple deaths. Please get a grip.
Perhaps you should stick to watching snooker or bowls. Sounds like that’s as much excitement you can handle.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Burroughhill wrote:</div>
It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much carnage over the National fences. I didn’t know where to look. Never have I squirmed in my chair more watching a race. All we can do is cross fingers and pray for better tomorrow.Carnage? Anyone would think there’d been multiple deaths. Please get a grip.
Perhaps you should stick to watching snooker or bowls. Sounds like that’s as much excitement you can handle.
Don’t be ridiculous. By carnage I meant fallers, horses taken out, loose horses all over the place and general mayhem. If you think that race was normal you must have been on valium or something. That was enough “excitement” for me.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>espmadrid wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Burroughhill wrote:</div>
It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much carnage over the National fences. I didn’t know where to look. Never have I squirmed in my chair more watching a race. All we can do is cross fingers and pray for better tomorrow.Carnage? Anyone would think there’d been multiple deaths. Please get a grip.
Perhaps you should stick to watching snooker or bowls. Sounds like that’s as much excitement you can handle.
Don’t be ridiculous. By carnage I meant fallers, horses taken out, loose horses all over the place and general mayhem. If you think that race was normal you must have been on valium or something. That was enough “excitement” for me.
I’m not the one who needs valium if you think this years’ races have been too dramatic. Just how many fallers, U.Rs, non finishers are “acceptable”? Surely the whole point of modifying the course was to make it safer, but not sanitise it so much as to make it just another race over different looking fences.
The national fences now seem to have recovered some respectability. The last couple of years have been embarrassing, with horses able to plough through the fences and carry on regardless, leaving the cores exposed. Let’s hope tomorrow’s race is just as incident packed.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
I banged on for years about the wooden cores to a lot of racing people (including trainers, jockeys and racecourse employees). I think someone on this forum actually told me that the wooden cores were only 3ft tall and it made no difference, wooden cores/stiffer middles and the taller fences give a fall more like an eventing fall. The horse hits the fence above the knees and turn over. The last two years the core has been soft, the horses can brush through (this achieved a much more horse friendly fence) and did give the National a reprieve from criticism. I agree with ‘Steeplechasing’ they look stiffer and there were not as forgiving as last year, with fast ground tomorrow could see the return of the sort of National no one likes to see. I expect we will be treated to an almighty horlix of a start again!
Of course if tomorrow’s National is going to make you a quivering nervous wreck, please switch over to BBC1.
I hear they are broadcasting a couple of thrilling 2 runner races. I’m sure these epic sporting contests will have you on the edge of your seats…
But be warned the competitors may get………….a little bit wet, and………. finish moderately out of breath.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Burroughhill wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>espmadrid wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Burroughhill wrote:</div>
It’s a long time since I’ve seen so much carnage over the National fences. I didn’t know where to look. Never have I squirmed in my chair more watching a race. All we can do is cross fingers and pray for better tomorrow.Carnage? Anyone would think there’d been multiple deaths. Please get a grip.
Perhaps you should stick to watching snooker or bowls. Sounds like that’s as much excitement you can handle.
Don’t be ridiculous. By carnage I meant fallers, horses taken out, loose horses all over the place and general mayhem. If you think that race was normal you must have been on valium or something. That was enough “excitement” for me.
I’m not the one who needs valium if you think this years’ races have been too dramatic. Just how many fallers, U.Rs, non finishers are “acceptable”? Surely the whole point of modifying the course was to make it safer, but not sanitise it so much as to make it just another race over different looking fences.
The national fences now seem to have recovered some respectability. The last couple of years have been embarrassing, with horses able to plough through the fences and carry on regardless, leaving the cores exposed. Let’s hope tomorrow’s race is just as incident packed.
I’m sure all of us want an exciting race with plenty of drama. It wouldn’t be the Grand National without it. But as other posters have said, there seems to have been a lot more fallers this year. It’s only luck that there haven’t been any fatalities. I can’t be the only person who watches the GN through gritted teeth hoping they all return unscathed.
It is now normal, subject to the occasional non-runner, to have maximum (30 runner) fields for both the Topham and Foxhunters. Why is this? Is it the prize money, the easier fences, or a combination of both? In view of the speed at which these races are now run, would a restriction to 20 runners not be a sensible move? As my username suggests, I feel the fences have been tinkered with quite enough already, so maybe it is now the number of runners that needs pruning?
If the fences are looking a bit more daunting then perhaps it will stop loose horses carrying on jumping them and getting in other horses way or injuring themselves when they survived the fall.
The fact that there have been lots of fallers this week, and some pretty bad ones without injury means that something must be right.
Just let them all come home safely, I’ll have my hands over my eyes until they reach The Elbow Burroughill, it’s the only bit I can watch. ;)Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Joe may well be right in the intertwining, second circuit fences have not been decimated like they have been the last couple of years. I think some of the fences looked taller too. Even allowing for the modifications – Bechers Brook appears to be deliberately made smaller/easier; The Chair isn’t any more formidable than a normal fence either. Seems to me the first three have been made higher as well as the first three on the back straight (beginning with Valentines). Two on the home straight particularly easy. Valentines is THE most difficult fence these days.
Track builders may well have seen what happened in the Topham and change it a little for the Grand National. It should be a jumping test, but did seem a little too testing Friday.
First Canal Turn is tricky too, but I think that’s more to do with more horses reaching that point and therefore less room at the spot where everyone wants to take the fence. Bound to be more unseats on the first circuit and may be a case to reduce size of fields if it continues. Whole arguement of having 40 runners is that Aintree is “wide enough” to take them. But nobody uses two thirds of one fence.
Do think some connections have seen the previous two runnings and entered horses they would not have done before the changes, which could lead to more fallers too.
Value Is EverythingFrom what we witnessed yesterday, surely the only way to win the National is to be amongst the first half dozen horses from the start. Anything behind is likely to get caught up with fallers and loose horses careering about all over the place. You need to be out front with a clear view of what’s ahead.
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