The 2025 Grand National

[Mr Whatoxo]

Was Nolan the rider who appeared extremely active on his horse going to the last fence while the horse appeared to be in reverse gear? I actually thought the horse had gone lame.

I only caught that at the side-on replay and got a real shudder of anger looking at it. This was, if ever we've had one, a classic example of a horse who had clearly given everything and then some more and deserved to be looked after.

I fear the horse may never be the same again.

Yes, it was Micheal Nolan and he got 10 days for his actions.

The horse cutout quickly entering the straight, so if you watch again you may be more perturbed.

The horse is 13, so I imagine he’ll be retired - I hope it is a long and happy one.

 

[jinnyj]

Celebre looks in good shape in the video, bright and alert. Broadway is pretty stiff behind but I'm amazed he actually survived that so all credit to the veterinary team at Aintree.

 

[Alex]

Thank you for your replies.

For now, I think I will do the same next year as I did this year, except I will add in the winner of the Bobbyjo Chase .

 

[LUKE]

Is what my assessment?

.....it helps when you have the quality material to work with.

 

[Gullible]

And of course those that use the phrase "Journolistic Licence" as an excuse when they have over exaggerated something that later proves to be very false.

 

[Desert Orchid]

.....it helps when you have the quality material to work with.

In what way is that an assessment?

 

[Might And Power]

Broadway Boy is back home
pic courtesy of Willy Twiston Davies ( X Twitter )

 

[PlaceBacker]

Nicholls season to be rescued in what's turning out to be a good week for him by winning the National again

Kandoo Kid

Each Way [six places]...currently 20-1

Though a little far back than ideal was travelling okay on the inside when falling at the fence before Becher’s second time around

 

[jinnyj]

I was surprised to see him fall as he's been round before and he's a very sound jumper usually. He looked a little sore after he stood up and I think he may have been struck into but can't find any confirmation of it.

 

[Mr Whatoxo]

I was surprised to see him fall as he's been round before and he's a very sound jumper usually. He looked a little sore after he stood up and I think he may have been struck into but can't find any confirmation of it.

I thought he got a kick as the horse behind him tried to get around him. Apparently Harry Cobden managed to catch him straight away and Paul Nicholls said on Racing TV after the next race that as far as he knew all his 5 were OK. So hopefully no harm done.

 

[PlaceBacker]

Nichols said the horse was stiff and sore but will be fine after plenty of physio

 

[Alex]

My approach next year should be to spend no time whatsoever looking at the race, just watch it and enjoy it, possibly have a small interest. I spent a considerable time looking at and thinking about the race, but as with every National since the 2013 changes, had a pitiful return (small ew on Meetingotthewaters) from reasonable investment. Prior to 2013, this had been a very productive race for me.

On Friday night, I spent 3 or 4 minutes studying a 5 runner chase at Newcastle, to produce a 25/1 winner (25p rule 4, after non-runner reduced field to 4).

Will I learn this lesson? I doubt it very much.

I say the same thing every year, but a small interest always ends up being a bigger one for me . So I have conceded defeat, and this year I just tried to get value.

 

[Mr Whatoxo]

I say the same thing every year, but a small interest always ends up being a bigger one for me . So I have conceded defeat, and this year I just tried to get value.

In his excellent Racing Post Front Runner article this morning, Chris Cook, analysed how the Grand National has changed in recent years. It is worth reading and it even gives you next years winner - spoiler alert - it is whatever Danny Gilligan rides.

 

[Robicheaux]

In his excellent Racing Post Front Runner article this morning, Chris Cook, analysed how the Grand National has changed in recent years. It is worth reading and it even gives you next years winner - spoiler alert - it is whatever Danny Gilligan rides.

I noticed he spotted the same thing as me regarding Duffle Coat being the first casualty from the 77 race.

 

[Len Madeiros]

In his excellent Racing Post Front Runner article this morning, Chris Cook, analysed how the Grand National has changed in recent years. It is worth reading and it even gives you next years winner - spoiler alert - it is whatever Danny Gilligan rides.

What a thoroughly entertaining article, and definitely a pointer to future GNs:

How to ride the winner of the new-style Grand National - Patrick Mullins and Nick Rockett prove patience now pays off

The Front Runner, Chris Cook's popular daily email, was recently named the specialist/regional newsletter of the year at the Press Gazette's Future... Read More

www.racingpost.com

 

[edgt]

Because of the local connection , I was always a big fan of Corbett's Cross and have to admit at the time was disappointed with his first chase win, just scraping home at Fairyhouse Dec 2023.
Hindsight shows I may have been a tad harsh at the time....
1 Corbett's Cross
2 Three Card Brag
3 Monty's Star
4 Nick Rockett
Dist 3/4L, 21/2L, 13/4 L

 

[Barnestormer]

Because of the local connection , I was always a big fan of Corbett's Cross and have to admit at the time was disappointed with his first chase win, just scraping home at Fairyhouse Dec 2023.
Hindsight shows I may have been a tad harsh at the time....
1 Corbett's Cross
2 Three Card Brag
3 Monty's Star
4 Nick Rockett
Dist 3/4L, 21/2L, 13/4 L

Or his next run over 3 mile at Leoparstown:
1 Grangeclare West
2 Corbetts Cross
3 Flooring Porter
Dist: 6lengths 10 lengths.

 

[LUKE]

Because of the local connection , I was always a big fan of Corbett's Cross and have to admit at the time was disappointed with his first chase win, just scraping home at Fairyhouse Dec 2023.
Hindsight shows I may have been a tad harsh at the time....
1 Corbett's Cross
2 Three Card Brag
3 Monty's Star
4 Nick Rockett
Dist 3/4L, 21/2L, 13/4 L

I wonder what wayHdB will go with Monty'snext year.

 

[archie]

Because of the local connection , I was always a big fan of Corbett's Cross and have to admit at the time was disappointed with his first chase win, just scraping home at Fairyhouse Dec 2023.
Hindsight shows I may have been a tad harsh at the time....
1 Corbett's Cross
2 Three Card Brag
3 Monty's Star
4 Nick Rockett
Dist 3/4L, 21/2L, 13/4 L

Reminds me of one of our early horses about 35 years ago, a fine fellow called Sam Shorrock who was bought out of the Galway Blazers yard. Fairly highly tried in his UK debut at Kempton, we were hopeful of a better show in a beginners at Towcester the next time so were disappointed at his 53l 5th. However, the first 3 were:
1 Knight Oil
2 Garrison Savannah
3 Docklands Express

Younger members might need to consult on them but that is about as hot as Towcester ever got. We had compensation about 10 months later at the same track when he won a 6 horse handicap chase at 66/1 to the cheers of the bookies. He won another 5 over the years and was £10k well spent.

 

[Desert Orchid]

I see Celebre D'Allen hasn't made it.

It makes Nolan's 10 day ban look all the more like a slap on the wrist.

Connections have to carry some shame and blame for running. He obviously didn't stay last year and there was no reason to believe he would fare any better as a 13yo. The Topham was the race for him.

 

[moehat]

I see Celebre D'Allen hasn't made it.

It makes Nolan's 10 day ban look all the more like a slap on the wrist.

Connections have to carry some shame and blame for running. He obviously didn't stay last year and there was no reason to believe he would fare any better as a 13yo. The Topham was the race for him.

He finished tired in the Topham when he ran in it.

 

[Desert Orchid]

He finished tired in the Topham when he ran in it.

Brain fart on my part re CdA in last year's National. I was mixing him up with Latenightpass.

RP comment for him in the Topham: Midfield, not fluent 4th (Water), headway after 3 out, went third 2 out, kept on run-in, lost third post

And he was beaten only two lengths. I'm not suggesting he would have won this year's Topham but running in it probably wouldn't have brought about his demise.

 

[Ian_Davies]

Trying to be calmly objective about it - not that I'm suggesting anyone hasn't been - looking back at the footage, it seems to me that Celebre D'Allen led three out and was still disputing the lead approaching two out, after which he weakened rapidly and was pulled up before the last.

At what precise moment should be have been pulled up if Nolan was riding him "correctly?" (Because he led the Grand National field less than a minute before he was!)

The instant he was headed (there are rules about horses being ridden on their merits to obtain the best possible position), the moment he jumped into the lead, perhaps??!!

Ok, that's facetious, but it illustrates how untenable a lot of the "analysis" of this is.

Giving the horse even a solitary reminder when clearly backpedaling between the last two seemed both pointless and stupid to me but we've all seen this happen countless times without fatal consequences and tbh a ten-day ban for that can be argued is harsh and it's only the horse's subsequent sad demise that makes it look any other way.

As for whether he should have run aged 13 and uncertain to stay (like many in a 4m2f race) - Mac Vidi, Sunny Somers, countless horses racing in Points well into their teens?

The optics of all this in the wider world are terrible for racing, but the context I'm trying to offer here illustrates there is more than one way of looking at all this.

The truth is surely that racing can't have an honest dialogue with the general public.

Racehorses are commercially bred - no racing, no sentient life at all for these horses.

Their quality of life while alive is better than that of many humans on the planet.

They are work animals in a world where many animals go straight into the food chain.

And if you want to see actual animal mistreatment, take a drive into the countryside - you will see neglected animals in fields all over the place.

These are the facts the public school nepotism-ridden BHA lacks the collective intelligence to articulate and too many of the general public lack the intelligence to comprehend even if they heard it.

 

[Desert Orchid]

Trying to be calmly objective about it - not that I'm suggesting anyone hasn't been - looking back at the footage, it seems to me that Celebre D'Allen led three out and was still disputing the lead approaching two out, after which he weakened rapidly and was pulled up before the last.

At what precise moment should be have been pulled up if Nolan was riding him "correctly?" (Because he led the Grand National field less than a minute before he was!)

The instant he was headed (there are rules about horses being ridden on their merits to obtain the best possible position), the moment he jumped into the lead, perhaps??!!

Ok, that's facetious, but it illustrates how untenable a lot of the analysis of this is.

Giving the horse even a solitary reminder when clearly backpedaling between the last two seemed both pointless and stupid to me but we've all seen this happen countless times without fatal consequences and tbh a ten-day ban for that can be argued is harsh and it's only the horse's subsequent sad demise that makes it look any other way.

As for whether he should have run aged 13 and uncertain to stay (like many in a 4m2f race) - Mac Vidi, Sunny Somers, countless horses racing in Points well into their teens?

The optics of all this in the wider world are terrible for racing, but the context I'm trying to offer here illustrates there is more than one way of looking at all this.

The truth is surely that racing can't have an honest dialogue with the general public.

Racehorses are commercially bred - no racing, no sentient life at all for these horses.

Their quality of life while alive is better than that of many humans on the planet.

They are work animals in a world where many animals go straight into the food chain.

And if you want to see animal mistreatment, take a drive into the countryside - you will see neglected animals all over the place.

These are the facts the public school nepotism-ridden BHA lacks the collective intelligence to articulate and too many of the general public lack the intelligence to comprehend even if they heard it.

I do agree with the majority of this, Ian, but the side-on replay I saw was distressing even for a hardened viewer like me. The horse had given Nolan a wonderful ride and was clearly brilliantly trained to run as he did given he had everything against him in terms of age and stamina limitations.

Nolan is no spring-chicken-apprentice any more and should have realised sooner that the horse had run his race. It's entirely possible pulling up sooner might not have made any difference but it looked very bad and unfortunately the optics have to be taken into account in this hypersensitive world in which we live. Adrenaline would have played a part in Nolan's poor decision-making but it was still a bad decision.

Such bad decisions aren't reserved for jockeys. We see people being rescued from mountains/hills regularly and think, "WTF were they thinking going up there in that weather or knowing how quickly conditions up there can change, to end up putting the lives of the rescuers at risk as well??"

Only yesterday when I was out on one of my jaunts I decided to take on a climb I hadn't done before only to ask myself halfway up if I was doing the right thing since I was starting to 'pech', as we put it, not having done this kind of slope for a good while. I kept going because my legs felt fine but found I had to work hard at controlling my breathing as I got near the top. If I'd had my dog with me and seen it panting as I was I'd have quit and started back down. It's one thing putting yourself at risk but you shouldn't be taking a horse for which you are responsible beyond its limits, as was clearly the case here.

As you say, there will be arguments both sides and the BHA certainly doesn't do enough to assuage the fears of the non-racing public (the ITV people do try but they also make big mistakes, in my opinion) but the side-on replay was gut-wrenching to me and, I admit, is definitely colouring my take on this incident.

 

[Ian_Davies]

Thanks, Maurice, but please tell me, assuming you agree it would be ludicrous to pull up in the lead (three out), in your opinion when exactly, precisely, should Nolan have pulled him up?

While still disputing the lead approaching two out?

The instant he was headed two out?

About 15-20 seconds later he WAS pulled up after the last.

It seems to me that Nolan is being crucified for not pulling up sooner when 20 seconds earlier he's breaking the rules of racing if he does because he's still in contention.

I guess it's a bit like retrospectively asking when should a boxing referee have stepped in to stop a particular fight?

I'm no apologist for the bloke and I know elite sport is all about fine margins, but I'm not seeing how he could have pulled up appreciably earlier than he did and I'd like to see his critics putting a name in it and pinpointing the precise moment he should have called it a day.

And, of course, if the horse had been ok afterwards - as the overwhelming majority, even the veterans, usually are in this scenario - we're not even having this discussion.