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National Fences getting even easier and losing that special appeal
National Fences getting even easier and losing that special appeal
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Replies: 155
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Plenty of fallers over hurdles as well and at a faster pace. Every obstacle slows a horse down and there are now data to show by how much. The cleaner the jump, the less deceleration.
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This issue boils down to 'balance'.
Come April we could see the field approaching the 2nd last with 15+ in with a chance. Most from the top end of the 'handicap' and Irish trained. Many with their handicaps protected by running in hurdles etc. Take a look at the many nationals from the 20's onward on You Tube and you will see what we are missing as regards exciting sport. The powers that be had to address the safety issues and on 'balance' had to make what many would agree are over the top changes. The die is cast. |
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Problem is also that (for whatever reason) the GN is the 'marketing race' watched by those who do not regularly follow racing - that is rather ironic as it has historically also emphasised exactly the problems that the casuals have with jumps racing, i.e. danger and injury.
So, racing promotes itself with exactly the problem, promoted to millions - hence this specific race had to be the main target for changes. |
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one thing that annoys me is the sneaky way they have done it tho...
can't stand that sneaky attitude tbh. |
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Yeh that's a fair point also Hib - in fact they should have promoted the fact they made it safer if they wanted to use it as their marketing race of the year....
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i agree stu...
instead they have treated the mug public like fools by making fences like upturned feather dusters and not telling us... they must think we don't notice horses ploughing through the centre of fences with very little consequence... doesn't surprise me coz racing in general takes the public for fools... and tbf a fair % of them are. |
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Kap Auteuil just went right through the middle of that fence at Doncaster.
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I've got it...I've got it, we should start racing cows instead of horses. There can't be the same woke approach to cowracing. Sorry, just occurred to me . It might lead to compulsory vegetarianism. Scrap that idea. Back to thinking of a solution......
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the solution is very simple...
pack the fences with birch as much as they were packed a few years ago. |
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Aintree national fences are even more of a farce this year than last...
a hideous spectacle imv... shameful. |
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... Fitzy says thats what you want to see. ?
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video up on twitter of bob champion stood landing side of bechers (early 80s)...quite a sight
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it ain't what i want to see GC...
horses ploughing through the chair like it's made of feather dusters... looks ridiculous. |
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its laughable now
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will be 20-25 finishers tomorrow even with reduced field
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horses ploughing through the chair like it's made of feather dusters...
Funny I was thinking it looked no more than a garden hedge myself. |
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fences are due to be renamed, milking stool and puddle being considered.
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So you want to see horses falling all over the place, often with the usual tragic consequences, or so it seems to me from what is being said. I find it odd that you find the current trend, laughable.
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.... So you want a glorified flat race then Smoky.? just to appease a few Anarchists.
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Smoky Hill • April 4, 2025 4:26 PM BST
So you want to see horses falling all over the place, often with the usual tragic consequences, or so it seems to me from what is being said. answered your own question...wrong inference |
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swiftynifty 04 Apr 25 16:25
fences are due to be renamed, milking stool and puddle being considered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ a pile of pewk on a Friday night pub crawl in Edinburgh is stiffer than THE CHAIR these days swifty... scandalous they have allowed this. |
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GLASGOWCALLING 04 Apr 25 16:29
.... So you want a glorified flat race then Smoky.? just to appease a few Anarchists. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ the way it's going it will be a 4m4f bumper come 2030 GC. |
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23 finished one unseated 6 pulled up so is there any point of the fences
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Just for Glasgow.
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Formula 1 crashes, The Grand National and Ice Hockey fights aint what they used to be. NFL and Rugby have been neutered too.
Take me back to the halcyon days of the 90's where it was wall to wall carnage and cans of Stella of a Saturday. I want other people to get hurt for my entertainment. |
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Well you've still got the Velka Pardubice, sounds more like your cup of tea. Or the last flight death trap at Auteuil for thrills and spills closer to home.
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Aintree's hurdles are utter filth too tbh...
they are just knocking some of them flat to the ground... looks ridiculous... shameful stuff. |
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Surely fallers only plays into the bookies hands? isn't it them who should be seething?
Gentleman de Mee nearly fell twice, he wouldn't have got round if like a few years ago. |
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^ how is that exactly?
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Layers always seem happy when a favourite falls, like the one yesterday. I've never noticed one care whether it gets up or not. It's a cynical sport isn't it? underneath the sycophantic gloss..
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Sporting Index...
number of finishers... 16.75 - 18.25. |
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Sport with animals is a hard sell these days. I appreciate the BHA's efforts to make it more palatable, even though David Nicholson and Fred Winter would likely be turning in their graves.
I go back to Fortria, to Kerstin, to Taxidermist and Mr What.. Old Tea Fiend and Wyndburgh, but those days are gone and personally, I don't want them back, and I'm not sure a modern audience would either. |
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would be in over camp
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and I'm not sure a modern audience would either.
------------------------------------------------- the modern audience is ITV2 types who watch The One Show and Good Morning... they ain't got a clue about racing... and only turn up coz it's a students day or coz they fancy a few drinks and try to cop off with someone at the end of the day/night... or if there's a 'free' concert by someone i've never ever heard of... young folk don't care about horse racing ffs. |
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The water jump used to be a brick wall.
There was opposition to that when it was replaced. The race has changed a great deal over the years. Personally I like to see less fallers. |
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TV audience now happy to watch a re-enactment of the old Grand National minus the jeopardy .
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just saw a bloke on BBC Breakfast (Daily Mail columnist Dominic King)...
trying to big the race up... looked like a totally half-hearted effort from someone who knows the race has become pretty farcical now... but no doubt the ITV2 crowd will have got sucked in. |
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