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Less than 5 minutes in and we’ve had the horses galloping on concrete again, and a repeat of the wanky poetry from last year. Bet they do the same as last year and replay that awful poem again, just as they’re circling at the start.
Roll on channel 4.
Well it’s true I wasn’t looking for another navel gazing debate about the merits or otherwise of the race, but it’s certainly true. I remember when I first got into racing in the 1980’s that there was a sense that the good horses went for the gold cup and the ones not quite good enough went for the national.
That must have started at some point, so she has a point.
Excellent insight there Venusian, so some time during the very late 40’s/early 50s then?
Interesting to think back and see how events naturally go in and out of fashion.
That’s interesting also. So the theory is that whilst the National retained its status as most valuable race, the Gold Cup gained credibility as a result of its patronage by Arkle (I had a feeling his owner the Duchess didn’t like the national, but she did have a winner in Last Suspect of course).
I assume also that Aintree’s doldrum years contributed to it’s decline in prestige.
So a gradual transfer of status, with the Arkle years being the pivot point?
A related question then, when was the pattern introduced to Jump racing? That would have also official deprecated the national, being a handicap (I recall it was a listed race in my first national year, 1987, that being the highest status a handicap was allowed at the time).
That’s interesting, the NH Chase was run on the full open country course until the 1960’s I think, so there must have been a fairly rapid decline in it’s importance. Anyone know the reason why? The war perhaps changing the role of amateurs in the sport??
I keep meaning to pick up that book about the National Hunt Chase, that might answer a few questions.
Presumably Sunset and Vine (of course the current producers of BBC racing) will be bidding for the contract for 2013.
It could be an even bigger change than we’d all anticipated.
He did a bad job in the cross country sure, but he probably thought it was a load of old cobblers and couldn’t hide his boredom. I don’t blame him. He was otherwise good.
I do suspect like the earlier poster that he got a bit of a bollocking off camera, hence Alastair’s on camera near rant about how good he is.
I did wonder at the time if perhaps Croc McGrath has been given the top job and Down was blowing off because of that. God forbid.
Yeah, it effectively became the Ryanair (actually the Festival Trophy). It took a season or two for it to make it’s way up from Grade 2 to Grade 1.
Denise Large? She’s directed it for years hasn’t she? (and knows plenty about racing and sport in general)
Do we know if there’s any substance behind all this, other that Charles Sale’s reporting in the Daily Mail? I understand he has previous form for blowing off about major coups that don’t actually happen.
He was not commentating today.
It would be interesting to know why if any one knows.Because for some years now they’ve rotated the commentators around each day.
As was pointed out, there’ll be a "quick break" just as the runners are circling before the start of the National.
Of course there will be breaks, but they’ve managed to cover the gold cup for years without the breaks killing it. The adverts are shite, but they’re a necessary evil.
The BBC pad their coverage with plenty of old tat. The BBC last year had a bloke reading out a POEM as they were circling before the start of the national. They totally wrecked the build up. I’d rather have a paddy power advert.
More4 is the best place for it – who actually gives a toss about some Arab dictators play thing?
Dead right, it’s lucky to get the coverage it does.
A few slips appall you? Christ you must walk around constantly doubled over in pain.
A few slips and the usual old cack from the likes of McCririck but a decent programme in my opinion.
