Well I would say that is a fair assessment.
Makes a lot of sense.

I certainly think they need to avoid running it on anything with firm in it but don't see why good jumping is such an issue.

Lovely cold but dry day at Aintree, no rain forecast for the next week, good covering of grass on the course quite possibly be good or even fast side of good if present conditions prevail.If cold temperatures persist it's difficult to see significant watering on the National course as a ground frost on raceday would cause further problems.

AINTREE Going National - Soft, Good to Soft in places Mildmay and Hurdle - Good to Soft.

Aintree Rails: Mildmay & Hurdle - all running rails and hurdles on outer line. Bends will be moved in each day.

Another cold but dry day in North Liverpool.
I think the going will be whatever the Clerk makes it, still perfect in my garden.

Which has already been discussed.
The clerk WILL insure its on the soft side,rain or no rain.
No guessing involved this year.

Watering will commence should it dry out,and Aintree does dry out quick.
New policy.
Read earlier posts.

Ah right, so the chairman of Aintree was putting us away? Sigh. Yes, he will risk a bog rather than good ground.

Quoted on RP website

Clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch said: "We are just drying out very gradually. It looks like most of next week will be similar while getting a couple of degrees warmer. I think we will be doing a bit of selective watering.

Forecast via netweather,rain tomorrow 95 % chance,tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 50 % chance.
Note also Mccoys comments on who he will ride,He told The Daily Telegraph: "Sunnyhillboy is experienced at Aintree, having all but won the race a year ago when he was pipped on the post by Neptune Collonges.

"He would be in the half-dozen you would pick that are almost guaranteed to get around. He is well again and I would be confident that Jonjo O'Neill has him at the top of his game.

"Against him is that he likes proper good ground and is 10lb higher in the Handicap this time.

"Colbert Station is, at nine, a year younger. He has won on all types of ground, is much less exposed and I have huge respect for trainer Ted Walsh.

"Against him is his chasing experience, or lack of it.

"He has only run in five chases, but he feels like a natural and won the 28-runner Paddy Power Chase without a semblance of a mistake. That was like a mini-National.

"There are very good cases for both horses and it is going to be a difficult choice."
"AGAINST HIM IS THAT HE LIKES PROPER GOOD GROUND" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you not think hes telling us something here ? ie it will be on soft side like the new course policy stated.

Think not,its what he's paid to do

Looks like they are sticking to the new policy then.
DAILY TELEGRAPH April 1st 2013.
Aintree has run its last fast-ground Grand National. Starting from this year’s race, on April 6, the course will be watered as a matter of routine to provide going that is never any quicker than 'good to soft’.
In the most significant move yet to minimise the risk to horses and riders, the Aintree executive is effectively reshaping the race to fit modern requirements, at the same time trying to retain the character of jump racing’s ultimate challenge.

There will never be a repeat of Mr Frisk’s 1990 triumph when, on ground officially termed 'firm’, the Kim Bailey-trained gelding set a record time of 8min 47.8sec.
Lord Daresbury, the chairman of Aintree, said that a commissioned statistical report had supported the intuition that there was a direct link between injury to horses and the state of the ground. The quicker the ground, the faster the pace, which led to a greater risk of injury in the event of a fall.
We looked closely at all the statistics, and in discussion with trainers, we came more and more to the conclusion that ensuring ground that was always on the soft side of 'good’ was the right thing to do,” he said.

Would be interested to know as to what day / time they can water the ground up to, there hasn't been any rain in the area for over a week and none forecast over the next few days, Clerk of Course has a right job on his hands to ensure soft is in the going description over such a vast expanse of ground as the National course, imo.

Another day without rain.
Some clouds early on but dry and cold as it has been all week.
Put bin out just now 22.00, have to really kick heel into the grass to make impact, right or wrong, they will be watering soon.

Agreed Shrewd_duce.  They will make it up and the going will include soft in the description regardless.  As ever it is the time of the races that will tell the true story but the official going is guaranteed to have the word soft in it.

Notice no comments made recently,so for the benefit of the layers trying to throw punters and the d o p e s that just don't listen,here is the analysis from day 1.

2.00 1 L'Unique 10/1 Won 2 races on soft.winning time today  4m 6.60s (slow by 13.60s)
2.30 1 First Lieutenant 7/2 Won on going ranging from heavy to good.winning time today 6m 25.40s (slow by 18.40s)
3.05 1 Zarkandar 11/2 Won 2 races on heavy,5 on good to soft,1 on good.winning time today  5m 3.90s (slow by 20.90s)
3.40 1 Tartan Snow 100/1 Won 2 races on heavy,1 on soft,3 on good to soft.winning time today  5m 38.90s (slow by 17.90s)
4.15 1 Oiseau De Nuit 20/1  Won 2 races on heavy,1 on soft,3 on good to soft,1 on good.winning time today 3m 58.00s (slow by 9.00s)
4.50 1 Captain Conan 6/5F  Won 1 race on heavy,1 on very soft,3 on soft.winning time today  5m 7.00s (slow by 19.00s)

So with the best time of the day in the 17 runner 5th race,can we now accept it was at least good to soft as they stated it would be ?.
I think they have done a very good job irrespective of one horse dying over the National fences.
(Katie Walsh's mount Battlefront, trained by her father Ted, collapsed and died during the Fox Hunter's Chase after being pulled up at the 11th fence.)

lol,no prob.

Watering stepped up at Aintree



The whole track was irrigated after racing with the aim to provide similar conditions for day two of the meeting. Clerk Andrew Tulloch said: "We put 3-4mm on the whole course to maintain the going." It was on the easy side of good on Thursday.

lol

Honest northerners wouldn't lie about such things.