I Am Maximus

Henderson couldn't get it to win a race could he

can't see it winning the grand national.

I agree ashleigh.
It’s a right pig.
Must lay at 9 and indulge more when the place markets are opened.
Good Luck all!

Absolutely agree too and prepared to look a prat (again ) . Its worth looking at the horse in its races from the front and see the angle its left hind makes , for me its the reason it can win right (Fairyhouse) but jumps left . That said I also think it does brilliantly considering .

Bookies will duck it because of JP. Punters will back it because of Willie.

capadamo the jp one for me

Oh dear!
Done my cobblers!

Do not forget to weigh-in Townend. Such a shame Corach Rambler fell at the 1st; Mr Mullins has won the trainer's championship too, I believe.

4th to Sir Gerhard in the Ballymore Novices' when with Nicky Henderson

Mullins is a much better trainer,lets them run not keeping them in the stables

got him well wrong.

Townend again showing why he's been the top NH jockey by far for a while now.

It’s those Irish turnips

Apr 13, 2024 -- 4:17PM, MJK wrote:

Townend again showing why he's been the top NH jockey by far for a while now.

They smashed on it, won very cosily in both ! Great ride from Townend

Don`t pack in your day jobs.

His win has caused a wait at the bookies websites.

Yet again the Irish horses seemed to find another gear from the last. Only Kittys Light of the GB ones within 100 yards having been right there 2 out along with Skelton's and Latenightpass.

True !

after weeks of debate

FAV

Mullins and Elliot and Bromhead !

Nothing wrong with a 7/1 winner!

Quite right ! 10.9 BFSP ! Limerick Lace not dissimilar !

https://www.racingpost.com/news/reports/hes-riding-in-a-different-zone-paul-...

Ironic that Nicky Henderson housed this one as a novice, training it for its first two wins.

And the dam was trained by Andre Fabre for the Wertheimers where one of the siblings won on the flat
One of the least likely GN winners based on pedigree and relatives. Not a single sibling has won over obstacles although a full brother won a bumper for Gary Moore!

It can't jump that well obviously. Clearly irrelevant now but would not have been sighted in a genuine GN. What it does have is abundant stamina.

I see Cunningham on twitter referring to the former owner and his recent death...Grech family?...anyone know?

his jump at the chair would have finished his race in any of the old nationals

Mullins said in interview, Hendo told him to do anything he can to get hold of it (after the dispersal)

Remember when this horse had its first run for Mullins it looked as though it was gonna fall at every fence

Same in the Boobyjo tbf, still giving Vanillier weight and a shellacking. A prelude to this result. Personally speaking, it's still difficult to be confident about a horse that can't jump in this race. Yesterday's outcome shows for me that the best handicapped one will usually take it nowadays, forget about any jumping frailties.

obviously tv/media/racing want to keep the illusion of the Gn going ,like rest of racing most of its an illusion,so whatever your view on it ,they want till you its safe but dont want to spoil the illusion by telling you why
lucky touched on it with calun quinn this morning only a young kid so didnt want to get involved, but why dont itv /racing tv go and stand next to a fence after racing and show/stand in front of a fence after all the birch has been removed, racegoer,s  can see it

.... Exactly, you only had te see how the whole field jumped Bechers Brook, not one losing a bit
of momentum and barely touching a twig.! May as well have a 4 mile flat race now.

Gravy obviously!

Something much more existential I guess, that bf rep guy stated earlier in the day yesterday that turnover was massively down. Not mentioned today. That's an inevitable side effect of the sanitisation, and the race is no longer perceived as a lottery, with every runner having a chance.

THEY think the number one goal and a triumph is to have no negative headlines or social media. But they are killing the race anyway. Well, it's already almost killed as far as the spectacle goes.

i,m not for or against its just different,but the GN is now basically like the x country course,lots of beautiful desinged obstacles ,bushes,trres,hurdles,posts,fences , water ditches but none of them take any jumping all for show and like the new national whatever pace etc they go the race doesnt start till 2nd last,like a 10,000 metres race or peleton in cycling

Mullins couldn't get it win for Grech,wins Irish National on first run for JP.

If you take out the jeopardy you also take out the public interest. Looking at the race through the eyes of the once a year punter, it was pretty boring. Unless you were on the winner. That's the element the gravy train never talk about. Nobody wants horses dying obviously, but by removing most of the danger, they've also removed most of the thrill and excitement of the event. Meaning public interest will inevitably wane.

Quite right ! 10.9 BFSP ! Limerick Lace not dissimilar !

Beddaq XSP over 12

****.

Look at the money and how easily it smashed Vanilier in the Irish National ! Won going away yesterday too

Apr 14, 2024 -- 10:42AM, Cider wrote:

If you take out the jeopardy you also take out the public interest. Looking at the race through the eyes of the once a year punter, it was pretty boring. Unless you were on the winner. That's the element the gravy train never talk about. Nobody wants horses dying obviously, but by removing most of the danger, they've also removed most of the thrill and excitement of the event. Meaning public interest will inevitably wane.

The course is now tailor made for the class animals to rise to the top. Delta, Galvin, Minella all in behind the winner who is being touted as a future Gold Cup horse now. I think getting an improving first time at Aintree class horse is the way forward

His task was simplified with the unseat of the pilot of Corach Rambler; his jumping could improve. If so, the same next year, and he'll not be the same price.

Given how they do the weights back to back looks a massive chance

It depends what they do. People say the same thing every year about repeat winners but the owner and trainer will have to decide whether to just keep him ticking over and protect his handicap mark all year or run him in the top staying chases and find out how good he is.

McManus and Mullins will probably go for the latter.

Rating yesterday was pre Bobbyjo. He won't be far off 170 after yesterday. I don't see any angle in 'preserving' a mark as will already be top weight. Chances of handicapper relenting are pretty slim, even if he ran down the field a few times in between. Mullins has been talking him up as a gold cup horse since the Bobbyjo anyway.

He might be however, I doubt it. He beat two regressing horses over a distance 8f further than the Gold Cup distance. A line with either he'd have quite a bit to find to match Gerri. Also, his jumping needs to improve markedly.

"The Grand National has changed for the better - and how anyone can moan about Saturday’s race is beyond me"

Just when you think Mottershead can't get anymore annoying

Makes him feel a little more comfortable mixing in establishment dinner parties. Which is of course, what underlies the meddling.

Mottershead should stick to his baking and knitting...

sorry,cider....didn't read your post before I posted..

let's all go back to the good old days with a dead horse being pulled our of the ditch at Bechers with ropes..yes the race was a spectacle then

The "Good old days" is Friday and Thursday as far as those who want horse racing abolished are concerned.

What do you thing these people horse racing is currently appeasing will say when after a few years of the national being seen as being safe and no horses die and they see horses dying during the previous two days of the festival?

maybe you miss the point? the gn funds the sport. if there is no jeopardy that will cease. another few years of what we had yesterday will see it becoming just another race in the calendar. just like the Derby. struggling for sponsorship, and no million £ prize pot as it can't rely on the breeding game.

the obviously needed to make some changes to mitigate the risk, and they did. but the salami slicing continued and it has been hollowed out so much that the fabric of the race has been destroyed.

i'm actually ambivalent on whether jump racing is acceptable or not. however the gravy train claiming huge success, pretending that the changes have not had a detrimental impact on the race is absurd. as i inferred, they care about their image among their peers, NOT horses dying in racing.

Maybe renamed it The PC Grand National.

one of the bookie reps stated that the gn turnover was 10 times the next highest race of the year. let's see how long that lasts

In reply to an earlier post...though the race was won by the joint favourite yesterday it is nowadays a bigger lottery than ever as 20/30 years ago only a very select band of horses were equipped to win the race

What was the next highest race of the year? Was it the Derby at Epsom? What was it worth? But, absolutely no way the present Grand National is any match of any of the races prior to the year 2000.

I won on him but, because of the multiple runners of owner and trainer I was more concerned of achieving a 'green'. As such, only won 1/2 of what I should have.

Can`t believe it but I agree with MJK.

simon claire trots that line out every year, and he will still trot it out when their taking £100 on the national because next best is £10. wonder what current  turnover is if they strip out all the so called clever,faces,pro money,what amount £ is your everyday slipbet,yankee,lucky 15 etc,contributing to turnover as compared to the past,we no the uber rich are doing well they might be betting 4,5,6,10 X what they used to, but if the top notch eateries are going to wall maybe racing is next,good old days might be behind us, i,d say around 30 of my extended family would contact me to put a national bet on for the, i,m laid up at moment so i contacted them fri tea time/sat morning and asked if they wanted a bet putting on  and not single one,my mam wo died recently loved the national followed dougie mushgrov in local gazette every yr and ive put her bet on for 40 yrs ,would be turning in her grove, WERE OTHER PEOPLES FAMILIES THE SAME, is interest waining ?

1st time poster -there weren't any horses with smutty names -maybe that put off the casual punter?

I doubt very much that the Ince a year punters would even know the fences are now smaller.
They know the National is on and have a bet on it.
I know plenty of people who do not watch/bet on it because they hate to see horses falling over the big fences.

thats the point my 30 family members once a yr ppunt is now finished,is that because betting in general isnt in vogue,not talked about at work etc,etc
i watch these bookies adverts about people in pubs etc talking about betting,language used and ive never spoken to anyone about betting using language/words like that in 50 yrs,
all 30 would have an opinion on masterchef, have you tried baking this/that,what about your airfryer etc,etc, racing/betting not so much

and  i think your wrong about wouldnt notice,as older people notice every change in every sport,hark back with rose coloured glasses to their day and its them who pass the racing/betting bug down

Racing got the Grand National it needed on Saturday, according to Ed Chamberlin, who refused to be downbeat despite 1.4 million fewer people tuning in to ITV for Aintree's big race compared to the previous year.

Chamberlin led the ITV Racing team across the three-day meeting and said the fall from 7.5m viewers to 6.1m for the National was predictable after the race was run an hour and a quarter earlier at 4pm on Saturday.

Has there ever been a grand national. That no horse fell in

The  Grand National has been diluted away at the behest of people who know nothing about the traditions and dynamics of NH racing. As said -it's just another long steeplechase -the Bland National.