"damn you all, damn you all to hell"

H

HawkWing

At the Start
Joined
Mar 17, 2009
Messages
1,891
Ok, first thing, poor Little Josh and Battlefront.

But watched a repeat of the Topham there. I cant believe that the grand national can hold its position it historically has held, due to the safety changes. The key thing from the topham and the foxhunters for me was just how much spruce was being taking away as the horses jumped. The Chair was half the size after the horses cleared it.

This is fine for the topham and foxhunter, but the on the second circuit, it will look closer to a poor cross-country type chase. It looked like the "fake aintree" obstacles. Unless they have fence builders at each fence to rebuilt in the 4 minutes before the horses come around, the second round will be about jockeys finding the biggest holes in the fences. Of course, this will only encourage speed.

I used to sweat as the horses came to bechers. The side on view on RUK today has removed all magic from the fence. Valentines looks a bigger test.

They've really blown it.
 
Thats because they have largely left Valentines alone. Jockeys and horses respect it more - ergo, less problems. ( IMO )

Little Josh - horrible fall, really sad that weve lost him (as I am all horses who die) was a wonderful game horse who loved aintree and didnt deserve to die like that. Thankfully he wont have had to wait too long.

Well done to the animal "rights" once a year do-gooders, youve got pretty much exactly what you wanted. Wonder how fast they were dancing on Little Josh's grave.

Still find it vaguely hillarious that the newspapers who love to make extra sales from their various bigging up and GN stuff are the ones who will love to sensationally spout about how terrible it is on Sunday and Monday....
 
different race to the one that I was brought up on.

To see backmarkers hurdle bechers was disappointing. No horse falling til Canal Turn, great for Channel 4 and headlines.

That they had to jump old bechers will be seen as quaint as the ploughed field and stone walls in future.

Progress.
 
Maybe we should cover up some hurdles with spruce. Watch how the backmarkers hurdle bechers 2nd time round on c4 replay...
 
the fences have been trashed in many past years by the time they have all took a piece out of them

not sure what you want tbh...brick walls wouldn't move
 
This is going on in two threads now.

Soon it will be the pace will be the only thing that makes it unique.
 
I did too. And I shall enjoy watching that again, safe in the knowledge that everyone is back safe. only thing i dont like now is that bunny huggers will be saying its only because of them, but I don't really care - there's no reason for them to complain this year. Unless they are going to complain about how no horses died but we all know there's no hope for most of them anyway
 
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The rabid ones will be upset that the changes appear at least this year to have worked .

Those who care about horse welfare will be thrilled to bits .
 
People saying the (Grand) National should be stopped just don't understand. We are all in racing because we love the horses, but we take some things to heart. Some of the things said about us are a bloody insult, as if we are animals ourselves. There are people out there stabbing and shooting, killing randomly, and sometimes it seems we are being put in the same bracket." - Trainer Jonjo O'Neill

G'wan Jonjo!
 
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