even though I backed the first and second that was carnage

I enjoyed it, great spectacle as usual. Do hope all the horses are ok though.

Wasnt good.meat and drink to the Daily mail.

I never enjoy the National, especially the first circuit.

There is no upside really.

All come home safe and sound and it's almost expected, something goes wrong and the Animal rights groups have their headlines.

It's basically no win.

personally i think they need to cut the number of runners too many no hopers running, 30 max.

Silly size field, half of them can't jump big fences and are no hopers even if they got around

Dark Raven died earlier jumping a hoidle
NH comes with risks.

I agree leif.

This is what needs to be explained to people.  The sport is inherently dangerous for both horse and rider. 

We accept those risks, but we are not blind to them.

Stop trying to pretend it doesn't happen and start standing up for the sport.

I love horses, but they are working animals at the end of the day.

Bloodstock/livestock is just that.

Daily mail already on Dark Raven fatality, the likely death of Hill Sixteen at first will be headlines within minutes
it didnt really matter what happened they would have put a cruelty spin on it somewhere

Did galvin get up ?

Hill Sixteen looked dead before it hit the deck.

Horses break legs and die in flat races too ,and at home on the gallops ,should we stop all racing ,and training of horses ??

Totally agree the point about risk, but surely they need to try to mitigate the risk and reducing the numbers would surely do this and keep the race out of the headlines.
Already on tv news reporting all the fallers.

I'm barely interesting in the GN these days...its' just a poor advert for racing generally, as casuals get it rammed in their faces every year.

racing will just have to bear the flak that will come its way over next couple of days

they will be back in supermarkets or high-end restaurants shortly spilling milk and disrupting diners
this isnt going away but its not the absolute disaster that it could have been

I wonder the same protesters stage any protest at a circus. I also wonder if any of the protesters munch into foie gras or pheasants.

Do they still have animals in circus's in the UK?

I remember taking a relation to the zoo and the girl of around 11 years old hated the very idea and we had to leave. Times have changed and we have to accept that sometimes.

circuses. numbnut

if she hated the idea why did you take her? sounds as though the child had been indoctrinated, as few children have the capability of reasoned argument at that age. let alone a relative of yours. there are arguments for and against zoos, and its true that without them, some species would not exist. but its far from ideal. it would be handy if other people had as much concern as we do. without western charities and aid the picture would be unspeakably horrible. but nobody is willing to point the finger or condemn those responsible. china being the er.. elephant in the room

why do we have to accept change? who decides? you or the mob? the people involved today accept nothing until they get their way. they are not appeasable

despite that i support their right to protest and have a degree of sympathy with it. its just the methods i deplore, like the climate change glue-fetishists who i agree with on principle

the mail is trotted out. as ever, as the root of evil, but it was the mail that exposed these people in the first place, so it cannot win either way. just demonstrates again the lack of imagination and prejudice on this dismal forum

its long odds on these people are grauniad readers, but that would never be used as a stick to beat them with by the same mail-haters. i read no newspaper, before anyone pipes up

if she hated the idea why did you take her? sounds as though the child had been indoctrinated, as few children have the capability of reasoned argument at that age. let alone a relative of yours.



Obviously we had no idea as to her not liking the zoo otherwise we would not have taken her.

Will they be demonstrating at all the halal outlets??