Road To the Grand National 2012

A couple of other horses injured as well. This is going to be a PR disaster for the National - particularly when damage was done at modified Bechers, even though According to Pete was brought down. Syncronised seemed to get up afterwards - perhaps he was the horse with the screens to the left at the final fence, so did he pick it up running loose? I thought Chicago Grey was a gonner after jumping the Chair loose - again, a freakish occurance.

I think the bigger issue is the messing around at the start, probably got a few of them buzzed up - it was carnage over the first 10-12 fences. Is there a case for more watering? But where do you stop? They went a breakneck pace and that's a bigger factor than any fence modificiation.
 
Love Everlasting said:
Dont be silly, that race was made for Syncronised, Mon Mome is much smaller than him and he won it. sometimes dodgy jumpers come alive at aintree, horses are there to be raced, connections dont run horses expecting them to fall. I am gutted that he has died but these things happen, and its hardly because he fell under the jockey as he ran on loose for quite a while
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He should not have run - end of story no matter how he died .
 
Bobbyjo said:
A couple of other horses injured as well. This is going to be a PR disaster for the National - particularly when damage was done at modified Bechers, even though According to Pete was brought down. Syncronised seemed to get up afterwards - perhaps he was the horse with the screens to the left at the final fence, so did he pick it up running loose? I thought Chicago Grey was a gonner after jumping the Chair loose - again, a freakish occurance.

I think the bigger issue is the messing around at the start, probably got a few of them buzzed up - it was carnage over the first 10-12 fences. Is there a case for more watering? But where do you stop? They went a breakneck pace and that's a bigger factor than any fence modificiation.
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The screen was for an injured jockey, not horse.
 
Dead gold cup winner. Another dead and two more injured.

Still, smashing finish eh? :(

Last year was bad, but for this to happen year on year....it cant go on.
 
Yes Neptune was marvellous and I was cheering him home on the radio and he is to be retired immediately - probably the classiest winner of the race since L Escargot .
 
Cybrandian said:
Dead gold cup winner. Another dead and two more injured.

Still, smashing finish eh? :(

Last year was bad, but for this to happen year on year....it cant go on.
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I fear you maybe right - the improvement in quality of the horses seems to be leading to absurd speeds and far too many falls despite the safety improvements .
 
The race is now too fast and the fences are too small. Animal Aid have got what they wanted. Expect the race to be done with within 3 years.
 
Ardross said:
Yes Neptune was marvellous and I was cheering him home on the radio and he is to be retired immediately - probably the classiest winner of the race since L Escargot .
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I'd agree, great (if personally galling) to see the old boy get up, as I didn't have a penny on him and the runner-up would have seen me in profit. 2nd, 4th and 9th for me of my half dozen.

Very sad for the lost pair. I'd agree that Synchronised was not an ideal National type, but he was unlucky, he actually jumped it fine but landed awkwardly.
 
Grey said:
Sadly prophetic.
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Just in from golf, missed the race and when I heard Syncronised didnt get round I was rueing not laying him for a place like i'd been saying the last couple of weeks to people.

Very sad news of his demise. I know Jonjo and connections know the horse better than anyone, but they need to take a good look at themselves for this decision imo. The horse owed connections nothing. The sketchy jumper that he is, to declare him for The National was simply crazy. Unfair on the horse most of all and has cost it it's life, and unfair on racing as this is the last thing it needs when in the shop window of the public.

Sadly prophetic as you say Grey, and I take very little satisfaction from it.
 
Did you see them at the start fiddling around with the tape? We must be a laughing stock about getting the race started.

Fatalities aside it was otherwise a great spectacle. I was very hopeful about Shakalakaboomboom until he started doing a moon walk after the last.
 
Very sad about the fatalities :-( I did have NeptuneCollonges but it puts a dampener on things. Fingers crossed everyone else is fine
 
Had the winner and 4th but the fatalities take all pleasure from it, just hope Weird Al and Killyglen will be OK.

RIP Synchronised and According To Pete and commiserations to all connections.

Feel especially sad for the girl who does Synchronised (can't remember her name but she was so excited after the Gold Cup) and for the owners of According To Pete who had bred him themselves.
 
Said last year and still think the run to the first is way too long and causes the excessive pace in the early part of the race. Also tape breakers should be disqualified, although this is a hard one as the culprit is not always the one who actually breaks through.
 
Terrible news esp as it turns out Syncronised got hurt running loose and the injury wasnt caused by the fall. And getting fed up of SkyNews reporting them as "destroyed" and all the twitter activity from the do-gooder brigade
 
You were on at 50/1 I believe. I felt your pain at 20/1. My only problem with the National this year was that the first 5 fences was like a 40 runner novice chase.
 
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