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Thanks very much for the reply Louise
I guess the way to look at it is that the wind op should sound a note of caution until there is evidence that it has worked, and this is especially the case in situations where there is likely to be more pressure on breathing such as when the going is heavy.As wind ops seem to be under discussion here, I’m hoping someone might be able to clarify an aspect that is confusing me. I’m sure I’ve heard it mentioned that horses who’ve had wind ops tend to be unsuited by heavy going afterwards. Why would this be? I’d have thought the whole point of the wind op would be to make life easier in situations where there is more pressure on breathing such as heavy ground.
Neptune Collonges for me. Very unlucky to be around at the same time as his more illustrious stablemates Kauto Star and Denman, and hence his classy and durable career went somewhat underappreciated. When he finally had his deserved day of glory in the 2012 Grand National it was cruelly overshadowed by the tragic deaths of Synchronised and According To Pete.
Another underrated horse from the same era was Exotic Dancer, one of the few chasers who could force a top-form Kauto Star to pull out all the stops. Both of the above horses had the ability to have been impressive Gold Cup winners in many recent years, but fate decreed that they would end up in supporting roles in what was a Golden Age of steeplechasing.
What a wonderful sight Menorah was today. What a horse
Another grand old Grade 1 winning chaser, First Lieutenant, was retired on Thursday after finishing 3rd in the La Touche Cup. He seemed to have been in the wilderness for a while, and it was good to see him go out on the back of a good performance as well.
His Grade 1 chase win was in the 2013 Betfred Bowl over none other than Menorah.
Have really enjoyed this meeting. Totally agree that Aintree should be massively congratulated on all the improvements they have made.
I thought they did a decent job of creating a sense of occasion today, which is what is needed for the much broader audience that the National brings. Loved the plentiful use of the theme from Champions which has been underused in recent years :)
Have still got big issues with the camera angles missing key action though. Also the commentary on the big race seemed somewhat error-strewn, especially the miscalling of Gas Line Boy as Wonderful Charm in the closing stages.
There was plenty to like about the coverage though, and I’m just pleased it’s still on one of the “big” free-to-air channels.
Great to hear of a number of old favourites finishing their careers on happy notes. Seemed like the right time for Silviniaco Conti as he was clearly not the horse of old.
Returning to the Pipe retirements mentioned recently, there is more detail on them here http://www.davidpipe.com/2014-02-27-07-37-23-1/2918-changing-of-the-guard.
It seems Gevrey Chambertin was injured in the Eider prompting his retirement. On a happier note it looks like we may not have seen the last of Shotavodka as he will be going pointing
I think the ITV coverage has been pretty decent so far this year. However, the Aintree coverage has felt a bit of a step backwards.
Totally agree with all the comments about the poor camera angles during the racing. I want to see the whole field, especially when they are going over the obstacles. Also the content seems to have worsened; I can’t believe anyone would have been tuning in for Friday’s fashion segments which took up way too much time. By all means publicise the very decent “best dressed” prize and interview the winner, but leave it at that and no more. Also stop the obsession with winning connections becoming emotional during interviews. It’s great that people are so invested in the sport, but a tearful interviewee is rarely a coherent or interesting one.
A particular strength of the ITV coverage previously has been features, so it would have been nice to have a few more of these, especially as the National is not exactly short of angles to cover.
On a more positive note I really enjoyed the Virtual National on ITV4 on Friday night. It was a bit different, and at least they are trying to innovate. The graphics were really good and I found myself getting into it as if it was real!
I agree with a lot of that Marlingford, and although the current nature of the race prevents it, I do myself miss the big National horses returning year after year. Very much like yourself, this was a lot of the appeal when I was growing up. Sadly though, I think those days are long behind us, and it would just be unfair now.
I doubt there’s an easy answer to it, and I don’t think there’s a solution that would suit everyone.
Now to find the winner haha
You are right VTC, there is no easy answer, and even if changes were made this would not bring back the past. Probably best I focus on appreciating what we still have; I certainly don’t think finding the winner has become any easier!
Marlingford/Wex, totally agree, since they’ve introduced this rule, I keep expecting common sense to kick in, and that it should be a requirement for entry, rather than the current set up, it just feels wrong.
The problem with the second example though Marlingford is that is highly unfair. I’d be absolutely fuming if I owned a horse, who missed out because of a highly regressive horse who happened to finish 4th in a National 3 years earlier, or had won a Becher a couple of years back. Previous course form round Aintree is absolutely no guarantee that they’ll repeat it, and the races history is littered with course “specialists” who were anything but. This also applies to a lot of runners who have fared well in the recognisable staying chases.
I just feel that we tend to overthink it a bit, and bar some sort of indication that they can at least deal with 3 miles at a minimum (and I recognise that that new criteria is far from ideal), then it is a handicap, and the best 40 get in, there really is no justification to confuse matters.
I agree there are plenty of horses who’ve shone brightly at Aintree once but not reproduced the form a second time. However, the course definitely still has it’s share of specialists, and I think seeing the same familiar names turning up is part of the race’s wider public appeal – it was this aspect that first drew me into racing as a child! I’m not saying that hopeless cases should be given priority though, hence the need for the handicapper to still be happy the horse is worth a mark above the minimum requirement.
I know the handicapper already has the ability to increase weights to allow for the “Aintree factor”, but the marks of the entrants are so high now that it’s difficult for any horse to maintain a sufficiently high mark for multiple return visits, and I think this is to the character of the race’s detriment.
I can totally see where you are coming from when talking about fairness though Venture as I’d be none too pleased if it was my higher-rated horse who missed out. I don’t think there’s much risk of this happening though as I know it was discussed after Pineau De Re and Alvarado missed out last year, and there seemed no appetite for change then. Would still like a “won over three miles at the time of entry” rule though!
I have long thought a rule along those lines would be for the best thewexfordman, though it’s hard to reconcile with the maiden Rule The World winning last year!
It also seems wrong that horses with good course form/long-distance form such as Alvarado are almost certain not to get a run. I’d like to see any horse that has placed in the National or won the Becher Chase previously receive automatic qualification provided they still have a rating above the minimum required.
I just had to look Devils Bride up too! He doesn’t appear to meet the “placed over three miles” requirement to run at present, though obviously there is still time.
Does anyone know what has happened to Otago Trail? He seems to have been entered but not allotted a weight.
A big shame ITV are showing no further racing on their main channel until Cheltenham. It’s certainly not going to raise the profile of their coverage or get any momentum behind it.
The bias of the ITV1 broadcasts towards Flat racing also seems poorly thought-out. Pity as there is much to like about the new programme.
A nice tribute piece has now been put up:
http://www.racingpost.com/news/live.sd?event_id=21636024&category=0
A real shame there was nothing yesterday, but better late than never.
What a great horse he was. I am not keen on 2 mile specialists being run in the Grand National, but his performance to finish 6th in 2002 was remarkable. I remember at the time someone commenting that he must have been wondering why he had been asked to run two races in the same day! RIP Celibate
I agree Ivanjica. Simonsig deserves much better than to simply be a footnote in the Sprinter Sacre story. I was really surprised that there was not an article specifically about him on the Racing Post website when I looked this evening.
Much like Vautour, Simonsig never really got the chance to fulfil his vast potential. It seems strange saying that when considering how much they both achieved. RIP
I guess the way to look at it is that the wind op should sound a note of caution until there is evidence that it has worked, and this is especially the case in situations where there is likely to be more pressure on breathing such as when the going is heavy.