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Cork All Star, that was a very timely question about the West Wales National!
It clearly is still being run! It must have been moved to a different time of year when there is likely to be better ground. I am sure the race I described was run in January or February.
Cork All Star, you are correct – the West Wales National was moved to April in 2017.
One more to add to the ever-growing list of Nationals is the Ladies National held at Fairyhouse, the most recent running being last Saturday. It appears to have started in 2017 and been held over a range of distances in its brief history. The most recent running was over the furthest distance yet, 3m 1/2f.
I’m not surprised they moved the West Wales National to April. Does anyone remember Bob Ford coming home as the only finisher on bottomless ground?
There should be a minimum prize fund for any race calling itself a national. Both the North Yorkshire and Ladies races are worth less than £10k to the winner.
Agreed Patriot. Bit like the £50k miniumum Heritage Handicap stipulation.
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I think 3m is the minimum for a National in my book. A lot the Irish Nationals are 3m. Think the Connacht National hasen’t been mentioned yet – Roscommon for that. A lot of the Irish ones are quite valuable, the Kerry National was €200k in 2019, think it was €160k last year.
Ones in Ireland that come to mind –
Irish National at Fairy house
Connacht National at Roscommon
Ulster National at Downpatrick
Munster National at Limerick
Leinster National at NaasCork National at Cork
Mayo National at Ballinrobe
Kerry National at Listowel
Midlands National at KilbegganThanks all for the contributions. Have enjoyed reading them and my knowledge is now far greater on this subject.
Bangor-on-Dee have just held the inaugural running of the North Wales National, making it the latest edition of the regional Nationals.
Before we get too excited, it is a renamed Class 4 (0-120) handicap over 3m5+f, so hardly a candidate for Iwilldoit to have run in to qualify for the big one! ;)
Bretney, trained by Henry Daly, was the winner off a mark of 98. I am sure patriot1 (see above) will be keen to note that the first prize was £7716.
(Is this the only handicap at that grade to be called a ‘National’?)
I’m pretty sure some Point-to-Points have held 3m4f+ Opens and called them “Nationals” over the years.
I think now-defunct Detling might have had one – they went round the small circuit so many times you got dizzy watching it!
Even at today’s numbers, they’d only be racing for a first prize of £200-£500.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Rob,
The Hexham four miler has been renamed this year, it’s now the BKRacing Hexham Marathon.
Touch of the Qipco disease there.
I noted the pathetic prize money for a “National” at Bangor QF.
There must be more courses with these races than without now. We’re just missing a Shropshire National at Ludlow and a Lake District National at Cartmel.
It’s only a matter of time before a Flat-only racecourse – maybe Pontefract over its 2m5f122yds – stages one to appease the antis.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Newton Abbot doesn’t have one. Fakenham doesn’t, because they’d get dizzy. And at least there isn’t a Notts National at Southwell. That would be the barrel being utterly scraped…
It was a Class 4 today at Bangor. Fair play, there looked to be a decent attendance at the course judging by what I saw on the telly.
There is a Norfolk National at Fakenham. I think they have to go past the winning post four times.
Bangor On Dee is usually well attended. It is very popular with people from Chester and Liverpool. I know a few pubs which organise coach trips there.
“I’m pretty sure some Point-to-Points have held 3m4f+ Opens and calledl them “Nationals” over the years.”
The Maryland Grand National falls into this category, though at some point in its 120-year history it became a sanctioned meeting. It’s 3m2f but it’s timber and raced over “fair hunting country” so it’s closer to to the real thing than the “Grand National” hurdle at Far Hills.
They also managed to snag the http://www.grandnationalsteeplechase.com URL before anyone else.
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