I agree with you. A good quality hurdler would have made his way around there. To those who though lowering the fences in the past 10 years would bring safer racing it was the opposite, it made for faster jumping and when mixed with firm going = fatalities. These fences had the brush in the middle removed which allowed the runners to almost pass through without being brought down.Perhaps it will get the animal rights crowd off horseracings back but as you say ''not the race it used to be''
Ryan Mania - what a lovely patient ride , didn't panic two out got back going , couple of encouragements , the horse took off , and the rest they say is history !
One year I saw a horse remounted after a fall and finish. This race is incredible and flys in the face of speed breeding here in the States. These are the best.
We really needed a fatality free race this year. I am a jump racing enthusiast who accepts change is inevitable if our great sport is to survive. If we get a Soft/Heavy Ground National in the future the race will have more attrition, but hopefully no deaths. Yes the Field heading to first Bechers used to be one of the most exciting moments in sport, however i remember what happened to the Gold Cup winner Alverton in `79. Saw Interview with Jonjo talking about this and he was close to tears.
Thank you RUKTV1 as I have been waiting hours to see the race from my home in Spain. It is strange seeing so many clear rounds but I still think it is a hell of a race. Horses die jumping hurdles too, so the organizers (and racing supporters) should not kid people by saying they have sorted out the danger issue. But if leveling Beacher's was the compromise demanded by the (mostly non-horsey) public, then so be it.
As a horse lover AND a horse racing fan I have no problem whatsoever with the changes to the fences. it's not 'boring' because horses aren't falling, that's not what racing is about. I care more about the horses welfare than the 'spectacle' of them crashing out. It was fantastic to see so many remain standing.
Thank you and of course you are right. I meant that whether we like it or not a GN without the fear and danger of the difficult fences is not really a GN. When the crowd roared its approval of then whole field clearing Bechers the truth is that most of them believed the horses were jumping the fance Red Rum, Crisp etc had jumped......as if!! It's not even a proper ditch now.
They've made an absolute mess out of the Grand National with all the modifications.Its just another long distance chase now.Tiger Roll may well win 3 nationals but surely Red Rum's achievements are better considering how tough it was to win in the 70s
I agree that the "safety" changes have somewhat diminished the race. If you were lucky enough to see the races from the Sixties and even the Seventies you saw I much different approach to the riding of the race (and as I remember the quality of the Jumpers). But that is just one old man's opinion.
Of all the Nationals I'd watched the last 2 decades, it didn't feel like a Grand National (either adjustments of the fences or the fact the whole field jumped the 1st 7 fences, dunno) but backed Welsh-trained runners Cappa Bleu & Teaforthree (rued Teaforthree clouting the last as it almost certainly cost him victory) that year....
Enjoyed the race and would have enjoyed it more if Cappa had won. Honestly, I was toying between Auroras Encore and The Rainbow Hunter for my outsider and went with the Bailey horse. Oddly, the riderless horse second across the line was The Rainbow Hunter, white noseband. No jockey, I know, but will not go unbacked in 2014.
i love swing bill, he was a good old chaser,never won much but liked those national fences. think he may be retired now? not the same without hello bud though. this was a poor national imho but i am very glad they all got home safe.
Colin Russel???? Muss einem dieser Name etwas sagen?? Ausser Tierquälerei und schlagen und Hindernisrennen, obwohl diese Tiere gar nicht für so etwas gezüchtet wurden??? Aber die Inselaffen sind schon immer abartig und etwas besonderes gewesen!!! In der EU und auch sonst nicht sonderlich gut angesehen!! Gäbe mir jetzt zu denken!! Sei es drum, die Quittung bekommen alle wenn sie vor dem Schöpfer stehen!! Und dann richtig!!
The fences look big but are constructed of flyaway spruce that the horses can kick away. Essentially now the horses are simply jumping the plastic core with the spruce merely decoration. They look like GN fences but are nothing of the kind.
I agree the race isn't what it used to be, but it doesn't bother me because it's terrible seeing a horse killed. I'm not a ''do gooder'' or anything like that. I love the National, I think it's still a great race and when all the horses and jockeys get home safe is a nice thing. BTW I had Auroras Encore, what a race he ran.
FFS!!! I would like to know if anyone can recall a Grand National from 'the old days' where there were NO fallers at Bechers Brook on both circuits? and why the bloody hell are they still referring to it as a 'brook'? there is no brook, it has been completely levelled out! Bullshit. I get that there have been 84 fatalities in the GN since it started back in 1839 (race history readily available on the net) but there are also fatalities elsewhere in horse racing. Destroying the test of ability, mystique and glamour of the worlds premier steeplechase was NOT the answer.
the bloke riding across the bay just has no idea. same spot in 2 races ive seen and both times he get ran off by lose horses. always want to be in the lead and out wide. then he walks to the line.poor horse is an amazing jumper.give a good jockey a go and put him in a safe spot
As a lover of horse racing especially the jumps i have to sadly say the grand national now is nowhere near the spectacle that is was in the 80s or 90s. Red Rum's trainer the late great ginger mccain had got it spot on when interviewed a few years ago by saying that with all the changes to the national fences it is now no more than a gloryfied hurdles race there is no test of ability for a horse anymore and for someone who has won the national 4 times i tend to agree with him. The authorites have given in to the animal welfare people and those calling for the national to be abandoned by destroying the greatest race of them all. Now i for one detest horses being killed on the racecourse i do not like that sight one little bit but its a fact of life that these things do happen either in jumps racing or on the flat and it will never stop and there is nothing that can be done to stop this
It's a fact of life that these things do happen? So much for the dangers of horses who just so happen to have no choice in the matter to have their lives risked in the name of money for their owners. Clearly, you do not detest the catastrophic breakdowns that occur in the name of a spectacular 7 foot drop at Becher's. I'm an American trainer of Standardbred racehorses and have been for 2 decades. Never in my career have I had a horse die in racing - whether it be racing a lame one or putting it in an obviously dangerous situation. I don't get off on that - never have and never will.
WellConditioned Agreed. The race is just different now, not better, not worse. People always romanticize the past; there's a tendency to think "things were better back in the day..." Regarding the original poster, I find folks have a way of justifying things they like, even if they know they're not right. These are the same types of folks that will take something they find and say, "if I didn't take it, someone else would." Justification allows people to do a lot of bad things, and still sleep at night.
I would much rather have this kind of race the watch horses especially young ones get hurt and died. Remember we are the one making the horses do this kind of race. I don't think its fair to say oh well they died. If we made you jump over fences that were way too high and dangerous for you, you broke your leg or hit your head and died and we say "oh well that's just the way it is"
Actually, more horses have died since the fences have been made less stiff. As Ginger McCain rightly pointed out the horses now travel at greater speeds and brush through the fences because they can but that brings into play horses at greater risk as their front legs don't get to land as they have brushed too much through the fence and causes fatality. The Animal Rights have actually failed the horses here.
Exactly Sam. Perhaps it was inevitable in our risk averse nannying culture that the National would be deemed unacceptable. But better to put it down than neuter it. The race will continue to be called Grand National but it won't do what it says on the tin. The modifications have reached the logical conclusion....the fences are easy to jump. A national with easy fences is like pub with no beer. What's the point of it?
So glad they have made the course safer for the horses ! Whatever you say animals shouldn't be killed for no reason. I thought this race was good and surely if they have made the jumps smaller it gives more chances of any horse winning? Eg a 100/1 horse
Of course not. The rules of racing state that a horse must carry its assigned weight the full distance. Once the rider fell off, the horse was no longer carrying its assigned weight. Do you think that if it WERE carrying the weight of a jockey, it would have finished that close to the front?
That horse was 66-1 i had Chicago grey and the only problem i have with the grand national is the mass of the group of runners thats why they fall and people want that and just say at least they don't break their legs
Nice for the connections but they did not win a Grand National. They won a big money staying chase which now has few if any real challenges other than staying 4.5 miles. The frightening fences are part of the race. Without them it simply is not a Grand National. The fence modifications have essentially neutered the course. This may or may not be a good thing but there is no point pretending the race has not been radically altered and the unique challenge is gone.
I love horses, but a grand national like this just plain out sucks...might as well have just not had the fences there this year and done a 4m slog round a flat course. Thank god the 2014 edition was a bit more up to par on that front and no deaths. Shows you can have the spills as well as the thrills and still stay ethical! Please God, never a national like this one ever again!
AE had a half decent record over longer distances and had a manageable weight. 66s was good enough for me and I don't see what the surprise was. What annoyed me was Always Waining being entered when he could have done the usual in the Topham.
I much prefer the 1985 Grand National and its bigger camera angles. 40 runners, 11 finishers. Big stiff fences and the old Bechers. Fancied horses and romantic no hopers way out of the handicap at 200/1 and bigger. Plenty of fallers including Dudie and West Tip while leading and no fatalities. The race now is not worthy of the Grand National label. These are surely the softest fences in the UK now ps pre 1990 there are many instances of all the horses jumping Bechers.
Its sad seeing Becher's Brook diminised to little more than a hurdle with a slightly lower landing side. The Grand National is not the race it use to be and its sad for it. And before anyone comments on horse deaths, please dont take one year in isolation. The last 10-years have been the worse. The 1980s, 70s and 60s were much safer. In fact in the 1960s, there were 367 runners and only 1 fatality.
Lost lots of cash I went for imperial commander, seabass,rare bob,roberto gold back, Chicago Grey and ballabriggs and mr moonshine I still won nothing!!
Not sure it's fair to rip on this as the worst National as such but given the events that marred the previous year I'm pretty sure every jockey was under strict instructions to take it easy, go steady away and play it safe. Certainly was steady and safe anyway. Only time I really went “Ooooh shit!!!!” was when those two loose runners skipped out suddenly all “Reight lads we're off!” and took the railings with them. As a former competitive rider (cross country and endurance) and avid lover of eventing, I'm all for courses and fences being challenging, gruelling and testing the skill and nerve of horse and rider as long as that doesn't bring with it unnecessary or unfair level of risk. The race is after all known as the greatest / most gruelling steeplechase in the world not the “Grand four mile leisurely Saturday hack” I saw a horse fall at Cottesmore Leap which every other spectator saw coming too and gave a loud collective gasp. Horse just tw@tted out straight into the fence then fell backwards into a ditch which is big enough to drive a Land-rover through. It was awful to watch but not unfair or unnecessarily dangerous. I'd take issue if he fell backwards into water that promised to drown the poor bastard mind you. *One or two on a racing site actually cited the changes made following Brown Trix's fall as back when it was a real race - like altering the fence to avoid horses drowning was an actual pisser and just ruining it for everyone. It's such a difficult thing to balance the challenge and risks but I wouldn't want to ride cross country decked out in bubble wrap going over 2ft cross poles for safety. I sure as hell don't want to see it become a course that makes the pony club gymkhana look like an annual bloodbath. Finally can I just say the commentators keeping track of all those horses and jockeys like that is in itself absolutely incredible. How the chuff do they manage that I'd be “Ooh big bay with the ermm.. red and blue is - oooh no he's gone! Bollocksed the job reight we're left with erm.. (shuffling through paper) Hang on he's gone 'un all!!! Oh shit me... Just keep your eye on all the horses and the one that crosses the line first is the one that wins”
A very interesting post, Charlotte. My wife picked this winner. Apparently, Aurora means Dawn in Greek or something. Her name being Dawn sealed the deal. We bought a week's shopping and filled the car with petrol with the winnings. Happy days.
There will never be a fence named after a horse such as the Foinavon fence. There will be no history created like Foinavon or Red Rum.Its just another horse race. Too Bad.
My brother had a sneaky thresome with a girl called Aurora the weekend before so backed it 5ew at 66/1 and I text him to back it,think I'd more fun in the end
Of course, people don't like to see horses hurt. I do think it was truly a grander race when Red Rum was around but it still is an endurance feat for horse rider. The animal groups make it their religion to the point where everyone will have to be vegan.🙄
Fantastic show of jumping from the field. For those idiots talking about fallers, that's not what the Grand National is about. The whole race is about trying to create a spectacle in jumping [not falling] from the best long distance chasers in the UK and Ireland. if it's dangerous thrills you're after why don't you film yourself running across a motorway blindfolded and we can all marvel at when a car takes you out.
I think this was one of the best grand nationals yet there was no injuries and all horses was safe. I cant believe people are suggesting that this was a poor race cos no horses fell and died ? You sick fucks. I think its better like this more horses who are 100/1 have a chance
I can't believe anyone would want to go and watch a race where at least one horse dies almost every single running. In contrast, a horse dies during about 1.6% of regular flat races. Might as well go watch dog fighting, what's the goddamn difference?
I agree with you. A good quality hurdler would have made his way around there. To those who though lowering the fences in the past 10 years would bring safer racing it was the opposite, it made for faster jumping and when mixed with firm going = fatalities. These fences had the brush in the middle removed which allowed the runners to almost pass through without being brought down.Perhaps it will get the animal rights crowd off horseracings back but as you say ''not the race it used to be''
Loving the crowd's roar when the commentator says they're all safely over Becher's!
Ryan Mania - what a lovely patient ride , didn't panic two out got back going , couple of encouragements , the horse took off , and the rest they say is history !
One year I saw a horse remounted after a fall and finish. This race is incredible and flys in the face of speed breeding here in the States. These are the best.
We really needed a fatality free race this year. I am a jump racing enthusiast who accepts change is inevitable if our great sport is to survive. If we get a Soft/Heavy Ground National in the future the race will have more attrition, but hopefully no deaths. Yes the Field heading to first Bechers used to be one of the most exciting moments in sport, however i remember what happened to the Gold Cup winner Alverton in `79. Saw Interview with Jonjo talking about this and he was close to tears.
Thank you RUKTV1 as I have been waiting hours to see the race from my home in Spain. It is strange seeing so many clear rounds but I still think it is a hell of a race. Horses die jumping hurdles too, so the organizers (and racing supporters) should not kid people by saying they have sorted out the danger issue. But if leveling Beacher's was the compromise demanded by the (mostly non-horsey) public, then so be it.
As a horse lover AND a horse racing fan I have no problem whatsoever with the changes to the fences. it's not 'boring' because horses aren't falling, that's not what racing is about. I care more about the horses welfare than the 'spectacle' of them crashing out. It was fantastic to see so many remain standing.
Auroras Encore and Teaforthree. I chose them both alongside another horse who fell, the best I’ve ever had in grand national
Thank you and of course you are right. I meant that whether we like it or not a GN without the fear and danger of the difficult fences is not really a GN. When the crowd roared its approval of then whole field clearing Bechers the truth is that most of them believed the horses were jumping the fance Red Rum, Crisp etc had jumped......as if!! It's not even a proper ditch now.
They've made an absolute mess out of the Grand National with all the modifications.Its just another long distance chase now.Tiger Roll may well win 3 nationals but surely Red Rum's achievements are better considering how tough it was to win in the 70s
John Joyce q
Auroras Encore, what a horse that was. Good times.
I agree that the "safety" changes have somewhat diminished the race. If you were lucky enough to see the races from the Sixties and even the Seventies you saw I much different approach to the riding of the race (and as I remember the quality of the Jumpers). But that is just one old man's opinion.
Historic race produced some great legends champions
Superb Race, hope We get the 2021 Grand National cant lose another one, whether theres Crowds or not
It's definitely going ahead this year, the full Aintree meeting, but sadly, without crowds.
Of all the Nationals I'd watched the last 2 decades, it didn't feel like a Grand National (either adjustments of the fences or the fact the whole field jumped the 1st 7 fences, dunno) but backed Welsh-trained runners Cappa Bleu & Teaforthree (rued Teaforthree clouting the last as it almost certainly cost him victory) that year....
Enjoyed the race and would have enjoyed it more if Cappa had won.
Honestly, I was toying between Auroras Encore and The Rainbow Hunter for my outsider and went with the Bailey horse. Oddly, the riderless horse second across the line was The Rainbow Hunter, white noseband. No jockey, I know, but will not go unbacked in 2014.
i love swing bill, he was a good old chaser,never won much but liked those national fences. think he may be retired now? not the same without hello bud though. this was a poor national imho but i am very glad they all got home safe.
almost, my daughter is called Aurora so i had a cheeky £5 each way : )
Had an Each Way on Aurora's encore! £166! What an afternoon!!
You know that riderless horse did so well..
Had this £6.00 e/w 127-1 on betfair tiped by Colin Russell in the RP happy days. Thanks Colin.
Colin Russel???? Muss einem dieser Name etwas sagen?? Ausser Tierquälerei und schlagen und Hindernisrennen, obwohl diese Tiere gar nicht für so etwas gezüchtet wurden??? Aber die Inselaffen sind schon immer abartig und etwas besonderes gewesen!!! In der EU und auch sonst nicht sonderlich gut angesehen!! Gäbe mir jetzt zu denken!! Sei es drum, die Quittung bekommen alle wenn sie vor dem Schöpfer stehen!! Und dann richtig!!
The fences look big but are constructed of flyaway spruce that the horses can kick away. Essentially now the horses are simply jumping the plastic core with the spruce merely decoration. They look like GN fences but are nothing of the kind.
horse racing is animated roulette and should always be treated as so
I agree the race isn't what it used to be, but it doesn't bother me because it's terrible seeing a horse killed. I'm not a ''do gooder'' or anything like that. I love the National, I think it's still a great race and when all the horses and jockeys get home safe is a nice thing. BTW I had Auroras Encore, what a race he ran.
FFS!!! I would like to know if anyone can recall a Grand National from 'the old days' where there were NO fallers at Bechers Brook on both circuits? and why the bloody hell are they still referring to it as a 'brook'? there is no brook, it has been completely levelled out! Bullshit. I get that there have been 84 fatalities in the GN since it started back in 1839 (race history readily available on the net) but there are also fatalities elsewhere in horse racing. Destroying the test of ability, mystique and glamour of the worlds premier steeplechase was NOT the answer.
Hurdles compared to year before
the bloke riding across the bay just has no idea. same spot in 2 races ive seen and both times he get ran off by lose horses. always want to be in the lead and out wide. then he walks to the line.poor horse is an amazing jumper.give a good jockey a go and put him in a safe spot
John Francome called the race a complete joke
I think my mum was like the only person who backed the winner on saturday Lol
As a lover of horse racing especially the jumps i have to sadly say the grand national now is nowhere near the spectacle that is was in the 80s or 90s. Red Rum's trainer the late great ginger mccain had got it spot on when interviewed a few years ago by saying that with all the changes to the national fences it is now no more than a gloryfied hurdles race there is no test of ability for a horse anymore and for someone who has won the national 4 times i tend to agree with him. The authorites have given in to the animal welfare people and those calling for the national to be abandoned by destroying the greatest race of them all. Now i for one detest horses being killed on the racecourse i do not like that sight one little bit but its a fact of life that these things do happen either in jumps racing or on the flat and it will never stop and there is nothing that can be done to stop this
They've modified the fences to death. No fallers until the Canal Turn pretty much sums it up. It just isn't the same anymore.
It's a fact of life that these things do happen? So much for the dangers of horses who just so happen to have no choice in the matter to have their lives risked in the name of money for their owners. Clearly, you do not detest the catastrophic breakdowns that occur in the name of a spectacular 7 foot drop at Becher's.
I'm an American trainer of Standardbred racehorses and have been for 2 decades. Never in my career have I had a horse die in racing - whether it be racing a lame one or putting it in an obviously dangerous situation. I don't get off on that - never have and never will.
WellConditioned Agreed. The race is just different now, not better, not worse. People always romanticize the past; there's a tendency to think "things were better back in the day..." Regarding the original poster, I find folks have a way of justifying things they like, even if they know they're not right. These are the same types of folks that will take something they find and say, "if I didn't take it, someone else would." Justification allows people to do a lot of bad things, and still sleep at night.
I would much rather have this kind of race the watch horses especially young ones get hurt and died. Remember we are the one making the horses do this kind of race. I don't think its fair to say oh well they died. If we made you jump over fences that were way too high and dangerous for you, you broke your leg or hit your head and died and we say "oh well that's just the way it is"
Actually, more horses have died since the fences have been made less stiff. As Ginger McCain rightly pointed out the horses now travel at greater speeds and brush through the fences because they can but that brings into play horses at greater risk as their front legs don't get to land as they have brushed too much through the fence and causes fatality. The Animal Rights have actually failed the horses here.
i love this. its like watching a herd run
Be kinder, I'm not attacking you. I'm watching this for a reason and reading some of the comments... I didn't know there was a time limit.
Exactly Sam. Perhaps it was inevitable in our risk averse nannying culture that the National would be deemed unacceptable. But better to put it down than neuter it. The race will continue to be called Grand National but it won't do what it says on the tin. The modifications have reached the logical conclusion....the fences are easy to jump. A national with easy fences is like pub with no beer. What's the point of it?
So glad they have made the course safer for the horses ! Whatever you say animals shouldn't be killed for no reason. I thought this race was good and surely if they have made the jumps smaller it gives more chances of any horse winning? Eg a 100/1 horse
well done teaforthree ! he put up a marvelous fight to win
i don't think he meant it like that. i think he meant that the fences have been diminished and its nothing more than a really long hurdle race now
I had Cappa Bleau last year.
Of course not. The rules of racing state that a horse must carry its assigned weight the full distance. Once the rider fell off, the horse was no longer carrying its assigned weight. Do you think that if it WERE carrying the weight of a jockey, it would have finished that close to the front?
Colbert Station is gone at the Chair- Stewart Machin.
That horse was 66-1 i had Chicago grey and the only problem i have with the grand national is the mass of the group of runners thats why they fall and people want that and just say at least they don't break their legs
You've either been trolled, or are greatly misinterpreting the comment by grincher2006?
i had a fiver on auroras encore at 66-1 haha wanted to watch my winning replay
I had a £5 each way at 125/1 on Betfair. Had a few beers that night :-)
So, a 66-1 winner and more importantly no deaths! Swivel on it Animal Aid!!
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻
Nice for the connections but they did not win a Grand National. They won a big money staying chase which now has few if any real challenges other than staying 4.5 miles. The frightening fences are part of the race. Without them it simply is not a Grand National. The fence modifications have essentially neutered the course. This may or may not be a good thing but there is no point pretending the race has not been radically altered and the unique challenge is gone.
Yet another big priced winner here and a common statistic that jockeys like the winner here having a first Grand National ride and wins.
I love horses, but a grand national like this just plain out sucks...might as well have just not had the fences there this year and done a 4m slog round a flat course. Thank god the 2014 edition was a bit more up to par on that front and no deaths. Shows you can have the spills as well as the thrills and still stay ethical! Please God, never a national like this one ever again!
I always liked open British style racing compared to American gate racing. Just glad no horses or jockeys died this go around.
AE had a half decent record over longer distances and had a manageable weight. 66s was good enough for me and I don't see what the surprise was. What annoyed me was Always Waining being entered when he could have done the usual in the Topham.
Does the riderless horse WIN second???
They should count the horses without a jockey.... Would make the race a lot more interesting.
But then they go faster...
@@lilyby1203 yeah but not many continue riderless that horse deserves some prize money to finish second with no jockey is still some achievement.
I much prefer the 1985 Grand National and its bigger camera angles. 40 runners, 11 finishers. Big stiff fences and the old Bechers. Fancied horses and romantic no hopers way out of the handicap at 200/1 and bigger. Plenty of fallers including Dudie and West Tip while leading and no fatalities. The race now is not worthy of the Grand National label. These are surely the softest fences in the UK now ps pre 1990 there are many instances of all the horses jumping Bechers.
Why has you disabled embed? Would like to put in on Grand National website. grand-nationaldotcom
Its sad seeing Becher's Brook diminised to little more than a hurdle with a slightly lower landing side. The Grand National is not the race it use to be and its sad for it. And before anyone comments on horse deaths, please dont take one year in isolation. The last 10-years have been the worse. The 1980s, 70s and 60s were much safer. In fact in the 1960s, there were 367 runners and only 1 fatality.
any tips for this year?
Many Clouds
I was watching Chester win promotion but backed Oscar time
what is the horse breed used in this kind of races and what is the distance can any one answer me ? thank you
***** thank you very much for answering my Q (:
Pineau De Re had Selle Français ancestry
That white horse with the yellow jockey cleared the shrub every time!!! Anyone know the name? May look into that one as a jumper! hahahha
Very good race, thanks Oscar time fir me ew prize
I went for Cappa bleu
Auroras Encore and Teaforthree
yip beechers is now like a big pony fence i couldnt believe it still not restrung that guitar though
Chicago Grey
Each way
😅😅😅😅❤❤❤❤❤❤
Lost lots of cash I went for imperial commander, seabass,rare bob,roberto gold back, Chicago Grey and ballabriggs and mr moonshine I still won nothing!!
Ap so good fall
Not sure it's fair to rip on this as the worst National as such but given the events that marred the previous year I'm pretty sure every jockey was under strict instructions to take it easy, go steady away and play it safe. Certainly was steady and safe anyway. Only time I really went “Ooooh shit!!!!” was when those two loose runners skipped out suddenly all “Reight lads we're off!” and took the railings with them.
As a former competitive rider (cross country and endurance) and avid lover of eventing, I'm all for courses and fences being challenging, gruelling and testing the skill and nerve of horse and rider as long as that doesn't bring with it unnecessary or unfair level of risk.
The race is after all known as the greatest / most gruelling steeplechase in the world not the “Grand four mile leisurely Saturday hack”
I saw a horse fall at Cottesmore Leap which every other spectator saw coming too and gave a loud collective gasp. Horse just tw@tted out straight into the fence then fell backwards into a ditch which is big enough to drive a Land-rover through. It was awful to watch but not unfair or unnecessarily dangerous. I'd take issue if he fell backwards into water that promised to drown the poor bastard mind you. *One or two on a racing site actually cited the changes made following Brown Trix's fall as back when it was a real race - like altering the fence to avoid horses drowning was an actual pisser and just ruining it for everyone.
It's such a difficult thing to balance the challenge and risks but I wouldn't want to ride cross country decked out in bubble wrap going over 2ft cross poles for safety. I sure as hell don't want to see it become a course that makes the pony club gymkhana look like an annual bloodbath.
Finally can I just say the commentators keeping track of all those horses and jockeys like that is in itself absolutely incredible. How the chuff do they manage that I'd be “Ooh big bay with the ermm.. red and blue is - oooh no he's gone! Bollocksed the job reight we're left with erm.. (shuffling through paper) Hang on he's gone 'un all!!! Oh shit me... Just keep your eye on all the horses and the one that crosses the line first is the one that wins”
A very interesting post, Charlotte. My wife picked this winner. Apparently, Aurora means Dawn in Greek or something. Her name being Dawn sealed the deal. We bought a week's shopping and filled the car with petrol with the winnings. Happy days.
do you like bullfighting ? stay in your home in spain and watch some bullfighting or better Jorge Lorenzo.!!
Horses running without a jockey are still beating the ones with one haha might as well run em without a jockey!
jockeys generally weigh more than fresh air on the horses back
h
micko halloran nicely said
There will never be a fence named after a horse such as the Foinavon fence. There will be no history created like Foinavon or Red Rum.Its just another horse race. Too Bad.
rare bob he lost ahh well theres always next year
My brother had a sneaky thresome with a girl called Aurora the weekend before so backed it 5ew at 66/1 and I text him to back it,think I'd more fun in the end
What was the other girl's name?
Roi Mage 2023 🤔
Of course, people don't like to see horses hurt. I do think it was truly a grander race when Red Rum was around but it still is an endurance feat for horse rider. The animal groups make it their religion to the point where everyone will have to be vegan.🙄
How can you be so sick in the head ? HOW CAN YOU want animals to fall ? thats sick man the race was great and it gives all other horses a chance.
Fantastic show of jumping from the field. For those idiots talking about fallers, that's not what the Grand National is about. The whole race is about trying to create a spectacle in jumping [not falling] from the best long distance chasers in the UK and Ireland. if it's dangerous thrills you're after why don't you film yourself running across a motorway blindfolded and we can all marvel at when a car takes you out.
the most boring grand national ever
No Grand National is boring
古代战争 速度多么快 步兵怎样跟骑兵打 不可能 赢
I think this was one of the best grand nationals yet there was no injuries and all horses was safe. I cant believe people are suggesting that this was a poor race cos no horses fell and died ? You sick fucks. I think its better like this more horses who are 100/1 have a chance
New tab + /watch?v=3LiaXIAwemk = you're welcome.
😄👍
I can't believe anyone would want to go and watch a race where at least one horse dies almost every single running. In contrast, a horse dies during about 1.6% of regular flat races.
Might as well go watch dog fighting, what's the goddamn difference?
Rubbish
wow!!!! wtf? this is too brutal of a sport for horse and men it should be ban!
It’s animal abuse.