course way too easy

Beechers looks like an ordinary fence at Sedgefield.

These fences wont be seen within 3 years

Theyve done their best and horses can literally WALK through them..

yet horses are being killed and far far too many people are watching it.

TAKE CONTROL NATIONAL HUNT OR YOUR SPORT IS FINISHED

Did you see the Chair after they jumped it?, so soft was the fence they left a great big hole in the middle.

I have to agree. No difference between the National and the Welsh, Irish and Scottish versions. Basically a staying handicap chase.

The RSPCA terrorists have won

GOOD

or your sport is finished

It's The Pardubice for me now.

Tame as old boots!

over 17 finisher,s look good at 5-4 with slybet

2 races over it this year has led to 2 deaths no matter what they died of. Last year these 2 races had no deaths.

A Trainer told me once when I asked him why he sent a horse that cant jump to a track with stiff fences.
He can junp just takes the P explained if they can take libertys......some will..........therl be walking through em in a mo

in my opinion with the fences made easier they are just going to run quicker which in my mind is worse

NH racing does involve horses getting killed..by accident not intention
but I suspect eating KFC involves the death of a new chickens..
What matters is the quality of life we give the animals...and on this score I think the horses do better than the chickens

so  if want to criticise NH racing jonjon
I hope you are a vegatarian

new = few

Love the game. But, races over this course should have been scrapped along time ago. An outdated tradition that does the imagine of the game no good whatsoever. How can you enjoy any watching any race over that course?

little josh dead gives the do gooders more ammunition

Thats definately the case. It's ridiculous. They are doing there best to make the ground on the soft side of good to make it more forgiving to fallers to apease the RSPCA whilst making the fences a lot easier to appease the RSPCA which makes them go faster and means any fall is more likely to cause more damage. It's nonsensical they will cancel each other out but the RSPCA will point to the injuries as proving the fences being too hard and less finishers due to the more testing ground as the race being too demanding.

I could well agree you Whippin Piccadilly
if I thought ending the Grand National, would end attacks on NH racing..
but sadly I do not think it would, it would be Cheltenham next
then the rest of NH racing

so the BHA might as well keep defending the National

You are of course right nellie1970. Speed kills. I remember when the national was run in bog like conditions with very few finishers, the forumites were saying it was a disgrace and looked terrible but, in truth, no horse died. On good ground you will get plenty of finishers and many looking pretty fresh at the end. But, of the non-finishers, there is a much higher chance of serious injury/fatality.
I think Aintree and in fact NH racing are going to have to be very careful. Making fences very easy/soft will not stop fatalities as the races will be run at a faster pace. You will also get more weaker flat bred horses having a go over obstacles.
If those calling for the end of the National get their way, they will not stop til NH racing is banned. Then they may go for the flat.
What no-one who advocates the end of NH racing has ever explained to me is what happens to all the horses that are too slow to have a flat career?
As I see it the vast majority will have to be culled.

ebulGery, when I watch NH racing and see a fall, I never expect it. Over the national course I now EXPECT horses to fall and horses to be killed. This is just not right! I would like to see other NH races in the calendar pushed into the public spotlight with as much enthusiasm as the Grand National. I'm afraid this just won't happen while the Grand National is part of the racing calendar. As a result, the imagine of our great sport will go into further decline.

Sport can be dangerous - grow up

Using knives can be dangerous -some people get cut by them . Make knives blunt imo.

But Whippin you are more likely to see more fallers in a race which has a higher number of fences being jumped by the horses anyway. 40 runners jumping say on average 20 (once you take out horses that jump all fences) thats 800 chances for a horse to fall at a fence compared to about 80 in 10 runner 2 mile race. So you would have to look at about 10 2 mile 10 runner races for to get the same amount of times a horse jumps a fence and has a chance of falling so statistically you should expect horses to fall. The amount of horses that fall on the National course I don't think is that much out of proportion to the rest of racing bearing in mind they are meant to be the toughest in jumps racing it's just that with 30 fences and 40 runners there is a far higher probability of there being fallers due to more fences being jumped.

The fences are just bundles of spruce, no body to them whatsoever. Horses will learn nothing from jumping these. I think the Mildmay fences are easier too.

A great course ruined. Haydock just down the road has fences that can be brushed through now. Both used to be agreat test.

Rather watch racing at Newbury now.

Read animal Aid's website. They don't think any animals should be subject to the whims of men. They definitely want ALL racing banned.

Sport can be dangerous and everyone on here knows the risks involved in jump racing across the board but no sporting contest can survive a death of at least one of the participants on an annual basis.

The race really needs a long run of time without a fatality, especially in the current climate but we all know that's unlikely.

Some good analysis on ATR.  It's a matter of luck whether horses get killed or not 

within 5 years the bha will rename the race The Grand Bumper

The course has become a joke,As i knew it eventually would,The Grand National is no longer unique which was the whole idea that made it the race it was to begin with.

At least I am not the only one that thinks the fences have been totally sanitised.I walked the course when the chair was a real fence,now ,as said it is a bunch of loose spruce.Yet CB refers to it as "daunting" etc.,total rubbish.
  Even at other courses the fences aren't as tightly pulled together with the birching as they used to be,Sandown being an example.
No doubt the do- gooders,and hand -wringers will shout me down and think that I am evil,but I have owned horses,am an animal lover,and do greatly care about the welfare of horses.
Accidents happen in all walks of life,but life goes on.
    The main problem is the do-gooders have very little idea about horse training,and NH racing in general.
  The fields appear to be bunching up more,so more chances of being brought down,and pile-ups.Any major problem tomorrow and the future would be bleak,even with sanitised fences.

Good write up unbiased

Like most runners around it, the course has been castrated. Should be set up for the class horse in the race tomorrow.

Ta steamship.
Bechers also looks pretty straightforward now.The amazing thing is that for many many years ,even though there were complaints,and placard bearers wanting the race banned,there wasn't a serious threat to the race,but now it seems Aintree is walking on egg-shells.
  I can think of many many more dangerous activities that go unchallenged.The big problem with the National is the fact it is televised.A little knowledge is a dangerous thing springs to mind!

Race is now just a very competitive handicap over an extended trip. With 40 runners, you still need plenty of luck in running of course but the days of big outsiders on good ground are probably over.

if commentator never said bechers I wouldn't have known

The race has become a joke,

you what festival :)

No longer a test in jumping

great race...no problem with that

Shíte race,May as well have been jumping hurdles

Yes they have killed it, just a marathon handicap. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

They don't have to be pulling off carcasses to make it a great race.

The only thing killed today was The Grand National.

some one just said only fence that stayed upright was the water
every other was a mash of tigs!!!

Only 3 horses fell.

so much blood lust on here, some of you people need some help

Its National Hunt race in Australia ALL OVER AGAIN....you give the Animal Rights group an inch and they take EVERYTHING. Their end goal is the termination of racing as a sport...sooner people realise that the better.

if about 4 horses died today yous would all being saying thats a great challenge. sick, sick minds, stick to the dog fighting

surely  no one  wants to see horses hurt and every possible means to prevent that should be made....within reason. ...and thats thepoint..everyones line in the sand  is different  on that......every time the fences  are  made "easier "   the uniqueness  of  the  race  fades  and the spectacle  for the audience  decreases  as it  becomes  more mundane .....we  are  in an age  of  health  and  safety  and  animal  rights .........i  am afraid  the  race  is  dead  as  it  was  defined  only  a  few  years  ago....a  unique  spectacle  that  is not like  any  race  in the world ........we  cannot  have  it  both  ways...we  cannot  pander  to  modern  ways  and  animal  rights  and have  a  race like  we enjoyed  20  years  ago. It  is  interesting  to me that  among  the most  vociferous  of  opponents  of  change over the years  were   and are  in fact  the trainers ,  owners  and  jockeys. The people who profess  to love their  horses. Many  good points  have  been made today about  the  very soft  nature  of the  fences ...but  in my  opinion  every change is another nail in the coffin of what  was a  race  that  had no  peers  and  could not  be compared  with  any  other.

The race has been ruined by listening to the do gooders and pc mob

That race was perfect, jog on kitties

If it was too easy then why did all the fancied better horses leave a 66/1 shot to romp home?

totally agree with phil and i'll take a guess that you lot saying it is too easy are talking through your pockets

Because the best stayer won u clown,Not the best jumper ^^

CheltenhamRoar
06 Apr 13 17:29
Joined:  26 Jul 12 | Topic/replies: 1,525 | Blogger: CheltenhamRoar's blog
Because the best stayer won u clown,Not the best jumper ^^

What, so you think this form is that of the best stayer in the race, what a fecked up point of view!

    DATE    RACE CONDITIONS    WGT    RACE OUTCOME    JOCKEY    OR    TS    RPR
    02Mar13       Kel 24Sft  C1ChL 11K     11-2    5/8 (53L Always Right 11-2) 16/1     Ryan Mania     137    *    *
    20Feb13       Don 24Gd  C2HcCh 12K     11-5    F/10 (Monkerty Tunkerty 10-11) 15/2     Ryan Mania     137    *    *
    12Jan13       War 29Sft  C1HcChG3 34K     11-12    5/13 (46L Rigadin De Beauchene 10-3) 28/1     Ryan Mania     142    *    *
    26Dec12       Wet 25Hy  C1HcChG3 22K     11-12    4/7 (24L Cape Tribulation 11-10) 20/1     Peter Buchanan     144    *    *
    02Nov12       Wet 21GS  C1HcChL 13K     11-5    PU/11 (Bless The Wings 11-2) 28/1     Jonathan England     147    *    *
    21Jul12       Mar 23Gd  C1HcChL 28K     11-12    13/16 (68L I Have Dreamed 10-7) 14/1     Ryan Mania     149    *    *

No doubt Phil Smith will still invent reasons why he needs to spend a month 'pouring over' the weights