National Hunt Racing - Are We Seeing The Beginning Of The End

In this world money talks more than anything and so the industry (that is what it is not a sport)will carry on.
Most people in the country could not care less.

Extinct within 50 years.

It's not just NH that is being ruined by the H & S Nazi's, the NFL is another example of a sport gradually being watered down, it's happening all over sports. Once the lid was off the H and S Pandora's box, there was no turning back.

Thinking back to my childhood and things we did, climbing trees, bike riding without lids, building tree swings, scrumping, swimming in the res, etc etc according to H and S we should all be dead, curiously hardly any of us are.

Risk is an element of life that can never be removed entirely, so failing that we decide it's better not to accept that fact and take the fun out of everything instead.

As ever, the whiny tw8t minority ruins everything for everyone else.

If it were up to me, I would seal all the whiners and criers in a giant hermetically sealed done, let them put their little helmets on and their high vis vests and their knee pads and elbow pads and life jackets and safety goggles and leave them to it, fill the dome with tissue paper and bubble wrap and them them self-righteously not hurt THEMSELVES to their hearts content.

Come the revolution!!!

Newspapers are all powerful. Some,in particular it seems the Daily Mail have an agenda.
Personally I don't think the Bha/racecourses are helping. Every time there is a problem they seem to come out on the defensive.

The papers themselves can`t kill the sport but all the bad publicity will scare the sponsers away.Are we likely to see protesters holding things up tomorrow?

A lot will depend on how many media vested interests are at stake.

Football, for example, truly the filthiest and most corrupt sporting 'entertainment' in the UK should be a pariah sport, but because it's bankrolled by Sky and other major investors it's given a huge profile. Personally I'd cross the street to avoid 99% of people involved in that filthy business.

Internet radio doesn't help---LBC


Coming up at 4pm on @lbc973, Is the Grand National just licensed horse murder?  Grand National killing fields?

will need to be in a political parties General Election manifesto before anything could happen, there would be mayhem if it was sprung out of the blue

alun,good post.Look at football,and what a hero they have made out of the United player,Ryan Giggs,who allegedly had an affair with his brother's wife,during his marriage.
  Re newspapers,I hate them with a vengeance,as their style of reporting is an insult.When getting my Racing Post from the nesagents I noticed the front page of one of the tabloids was about a Minister's car parked in a bay for disabled drivers or passengers.Not saying about the rights or wrongs,but FRONT PAGE!!!!Think of what goes on in the World,and a tabloid thinks that is oh so important.Besides which I presume the Minister had a driver.
   I mention this to show up the mindset of our reporters,and how they want to sensationalise unimportant events,and decide what should be reported,and what left alone.
Chomping at the bit for drama in the Grand National,salivating like dogs!

Also that vile BBC lunchtime presenter,Jeremy Vine,started his show with his spin,and mournful tone about the forthcoming GN,another bandwaggon jumper.Rather than get wound up by his one-sided presentation I switched the radio off.The BBC should be using my user name,and not have presenters with a pre judged view,thereby distorting the true facts,and giving their audience a false impression.
  How I dislike the media!

Yes it s already happening, the negatives are everywhere. I just hope that we have a national without problems, but each year this event comes around it puts another nail in the National Hunt coffin. All we need is a bad national to but a dozen nails in at once because its one of the most watched horse races in the world. Most people who watch racing regularly dont want to lose the sport.  They are converts who understand that there will be a number of risks for the horse and rider. But IMO its better to lose the national than to lose everything. As a race fan I cant honestly say the national does nothing for me, I just sit there waching because it exists. The Cheltenham festival is the real Mecca for true fans. The national is a spectator sport for those who like a bet once a year. However, these people with little knowledge could develop a strong anti lobby if the rags are presented with fuel for the fire.

sky news asking how safe national in 3mins--report

starts with 2nd horse fatality aintree
Mentions 4 horses killed last year
Says welfare working with authorities
Needs sea bass women to win for good story

I disagree. The National as a 10 minute race may be but apart from Cheltenham it is one of the few National Hunt races in which you can follow and analyse in the months building up to it. It's a specialist race where you know that all the decent jumping marathon stayers will be aiming for. So much is aimed around Cheltenham these days and nowadays with the amount of races you never know until a couple of days before what will be the target. You can spend the whole season looking for angles on horses who may stay, improvers or being quietly prepared for a National campaign.

That was in reply to Councillor.

The Queen is a big supporter of NH hunt racing, thank god......(as was her mother, of course) This has to be a plus?

Shrewd Dude I take your point but the race is not for me.The Queen is a supporter of horse racing perse but even her influence could not save things if there was a sudden huge lobby that has become anti. I think she would just sit back and say little.

just because they shout the loudest does not make them 1) correct or 2) in the majority

would take a brave politician to propose banning either the National or NH racing in general

without putting it in a manifesto or holding a referendum there should be no changes

Dirkdiggler can I be in your gang

a referendum on the National

".......... once the public get behind any negatives the rags will keep the pot boiling."

----------------------

UNTIL the next Jimmy Savile - or some other CELEBRITY that they can 'have a go at'.

Then Horse Racing will be forgotten- AGAIN.

The vast majority of the Public have the attention span of a goldfish. ..... unless it is some inconsequential 'Reality Tv'/Big Brother/In the 'effin Jungle CRAP.

EVERYBODY is a TENNIS EXPERT for a [b]FORTNIGHT- whilst Wimbledon is on ....

Ask those SAME people to name the four Semi-Finalists a couple of weeks later and 90% of them will go .. Err, Ummm, Doh

Same with the Grand National .... Gone and forgotten by Monday teatime

well said onlooker

so true onlooker, just control the weekend damage from the vile bbc

the horses wouldnt even be alive if it wasnt for racing.

some die....its horrible, but we move on.

Yes I'm sure there would have to be a referendum on whether or not NH racing could continue.

Good grief.

Think I'll vote N H  !

I AM BLOCKED

Well we are not too far away from this years race. I just hope all horses come back safe or it will be plastered over all of the rags tomorrow morning. The winner will be a secondary story.

BBC will be hoping for the following;

1) Horse fatality in grand national - BINGO!
2) If that doesn't happen scrabble around for a fatality in another race
3) If that doesn't happen trawl through this years record for fatalities.

Every owner must be grateful there horse is running the national--hoping horse returns injury free

but media will be merciless if tragically a horse dies

Fantastic news they all come back safe. Congratulations to all concerned who organised this and made the race safer. The jockeys deserve praise too, a sensible pace.