The 2016 Grand National

Therefore the distance of the race was reduced regardless of any remeasuring, or did they move the winning post forward as well ?
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Therefore the distance of the race was reduced regardless of any remeasuring, or did they move the winning post forward as well ?
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Yes, you are right, DG. The race distance has been reduced by about half a furlong to reduce the run to the first, with a view to preventing the build-up of momentum going into the fence, which was put forward as the reason for so many fallers there the previous year.

There was also the opinion that maybe some horses were wound up by being too close to the crowd at the start. Moving the start (but not the finish) away a bit, it was thought, might keep them calmer.
 
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"At the other end of the spectrum, the distance of the Crabbie’s Grand National will now be advertised as “4m about 2.5f (4m 2f 7fyds)”, a furlong less than this year’s description of “4m about 3.5f”, which was in itself a reduction of half a furlong from the traditionally recognised distance of four-and-a-half miles following a change to the position of the start for the race."

So reduced then, regardless of the remeasurememnt
 
Thanks again, DG.

I didn't know it had been reduced yet again.

It looks like it's now a couple of lengths short of a full two furlongs short of the 'traditional' distance.

Crisp would have been several lengths clear at that point, as would Sunnyhillboy and a few other runners-up I've backed! :mad:
 
What do reckon was the best National trial performance today and why?

For me it was Turban. He hardly put a foot wrong in the Bobbyjo and the only reason he didn't win was because Townend was told not to. When he was left in front you could see him looking to Ruby to come and overtake him and was then only asked to hold on to third place.

Whether he'll actually go for the race is another matter as the Topham might be the target.
 
I'd like to know that too.

I see the National is the aim with all three principals today.
 
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Are you absolutely sure about this, DO?

The weights are already pushlished for the National - what would be the motivation to not win the Bobbyjo Chase?? He just looked outsayed to me.
 
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Obviously I'm not absolutely sure, GH.

What I saw was Turban hacking along when left in front. All of a sudden Townend looks to his left and doesn't shake the reins until Ruby has gone two lengths past him.

I reckon if the one in front hadn't fallen, Townend would have tried to beat it but when it was the three Mullins horses left it looked for all the world to me like he let Ruby past.

But I might be wrong. It isn't unheard of.

Edit:

I've just watched the video again. It looks even worse to me now.

Three out Turban and Boston Bob were four lengths behind On His Own but by the next they had drawn alongside with Turban on the bit and going seemingly better than BB and these two were easily going the best of the main group. When Mala Beach departed, Turban emerged two in front (OHO hampered) but drifts left towards Boston Bob, who was by now being asked more. Townend looks across to Ruby and stops riding allowing On His Own on one side and Boston Bob on the other to pass. Townend is clearly not asking Turban as many questions as the other two. These two then edge in on each other and Townend allows Turban to be squeezed out and his race is over. He eases off a bit going to the last but once over it and the front two are away, he looks under his right arm and sees he needs to make sure he holds off Baie Des Iles for third, which he does.

I might well be reading this all wrong - and I'd love to know Maruco's and Sunybay's opinion - but it looked to me like Turban was by far the best horse in the race and could/should have won by several lengths.
 
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Ruby didnt have the race in the bag though, as OHO was still in contention.

Think you are maybe seeing something that isn't there, tbh.
 
I think Townend thought Ruby had the race in the bag. I think he thought he had beaten OHO and was just making sure he finished behind Ruby. The other two were in the same ownership so it didn't matter which won. They were the triers.
 
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interesting how On His Own managed to nearly win after being beaten 66 lengths last time..just shows how much the pace damage was last time..pace like that managed to rip him to shreds,,but RTR beat off that same pace pressure and was still a contender..says a lot for RTR
 
Desert Orchid said:
I think Townend thought Ruby had the race in the bag. I think he thought he had beaten OHO and was just making sure he finished behind Ruby. The other two were in the same ownership so it didn't matter which won. They were the triers.
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What is the motivation to 'not try' on Turban, when they already know what weight that one will get at Aintree?

Do penalties apply for winners, after the Nash weights have been announced? Honest question - I simply don't know - I'm just trying to understand what their motivation would be to finish down the field, if they had a clear chance of winning a Grade 2.
 
Only effect of the penalties would be to become the first selected of those on the same weight in the race.

The first horse to get in of all those weighted 10-2 (not sure what Turban is in the national at) will be the one who has the highest "penalty".
 
Thanks, HW.

So, there was no incentive not to win the Bobbyjo, if you were Turban's connections. Indeed, winning would have helped guarantee a run, if he was marginal (he is comfortably in anyway off a mark of 151).
 
Seems to me Townend just didn't have as much under him as appearances suggested he might have. It's not as if the horse has previous winning form at 3m+
On the other hand he might have been trying to ensure a massive price for the Nash [emoji83]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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HawkWing said:
Only effect of the penalties would be to become the first selected of those on the same weight in the race.

The first horse to get in of all those weighted 10-2 (not sure what Turban is in the national at) will be the one who has the highest "penalty".
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As HW says, there are no penalties for the race so the only advantage would be for those likely to struggle to make the cut to get a higher interim rating which would give them priority over horses on the same original OR.

Turban is on 151 so getting in isn't the issue. I'm just off the phone with the brother who tells me Mullins said after the race that Turban 'had to run well here to qualify' for the race. I'm not sure what the trainer means by that. Turban wouldn't have been allotted a weight if he didn't qualify already. The brother also told me Ruby and Willie both said they didn't think they [Boston Bob and OHO] would have beaten Mala Beach but it looked to me like Turban had that one cooked.

I plan to look at the race again (going out for the afternoon) later and ignore BB & OHO and try to 'visualise' what might have happened between MB and T from three out to the line.

All that aside, I have to confess that I'm if anything more captivated by the race at this stage than I've ever been, which is saying something.

It has to be shaping up as the highest class in depth renewal ever.
 
Horse always empties quickly and is not of National winning character, IMO. One of the first off the list.

Getting into a slog with two stayers, on a non-stayer, on first time out might have ruined his year, rather than his mark.
 
viking said:
Seems to me Townend just didn't have as much under him as appearances suggested he might have. It's not as if the horse has previous winning form at 3m+
On the other hand he might have been trying to ensure a massive price for the Nash [emoji83]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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He was already a massive price (100/1 and more and closer to 250/1 on Betfair) and still is. I'm not sure that is the issue. I think timing his preparation right is the issue.

As you say, he doesn't have experience at the trip but he is a Dom Alco and maybe the mission was to see what kind of feel Townend got regarding his stamina.

I really don't know.

Maybe Townend felt he was coming to the end of his tether and was just looking after him. It just didn't look that way to me.
 
HawkWing said:
Horse always empties quickly and is not of National winning character, IMO. One of the first off the list.

Getting into a slog with two stayers, on a non-stayer, on first time out might have ruined his year, rather than his mark.
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Might be right. It was his first run for nearly 10 months.
 
96 entries go forward at latest declaration stage

http://www.thecrabbiesgrandnational.co.uk/news/crabbies-grand-national-entries-going-forward/

THE FOLLOWING 17 HORSES HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT:

DON POLI (IRE), VALSEUR LIDO (FR), FOXROCK (IRE), SAM WINNER (FR), LORD WINDERMERE (IRE), LONG RUN (FR), BEAR’S AFFAIR (IRE), MENDIP EXPRESS (IRE), MON PARRAIN (FR), SHOTGUN PADDY (IRE), BENBENS (IRE), BROADWAY BUFFALO, GRAY HESSION (IRE), OUR FATHER (IRE), OPERATING (IRE), COMPETITIVE EDGE (IRE), RATHLIN
 
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