Grand National so many failed to finish!

millitiger said:
I love racing but still struggle to see why they allow 40 horses in the GN?

It is far too many and imo the sheer number of horses NOT the fences is what causes so many falls.

Poor According To Pete who was PTS was brought down by another horse.

Why not limit it to a more sensible number of runners like 20?
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I totally agree here, I'm also an avid Racing Fan and frankly the two race meets that we all wait for are Cheltenham Festival and Aintree.

I think that the issue with the GN is the sheer number of horses it starts as a cavalry charge whereas if they limit the entries to 20 runner like most other races the dangers would be a lot less as it would provide more room.

Horses don’t race because they have to they do it because they want to a horses that doesn’t want to run simply will not especially where fences of that size are concerned...
 
Maesfen said:
One was brought down by another horse falling so that was an accident. The other fell, got up jumped a few more fences alone and fell again all by himself, so that was an accident too.
I think you'll find that yes, they were both unavoidable accidents although if Synchronised had not followed the field and allowed himself to be caught he might still have been here but that's horses for you.
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So, According to Pete's being brought down wasn't a direct result of another horse falling in an entirely predictable manner?? Given that as many horses start the race, it doesn't take a neurosurgeon to establish the FACT that a fallen horse might bring down another one or several!! Synchronised should NEVER have run in the first place as many people (even those involved in the industry such as John McCririck) are saying that he wasn't fit enough (either physically or mentally). Both he and Weird Al were run just a month after taking part in another gruelling race (the Cheltenham Gold Cup). In fact, Weird Al was pulled up during the latter after suffering a broken blood vessel. Yet, there he was less than a month later running in the flaming National!! Entering those horses in the National was ONLY asking for trouble!! The poor horses probably had not even recovered from their efforts in the Gold Cup. So much for organisers getting tough on entry requirements. Loose horses have been a problem in racing for YEARS, so why the hell is it taking the BHA so bloody long to do something about it? If measures had been put in place to prevent loose horses continuing, then Synchronised could still be alive.

To Horse and Hound. Will you PLEASE write an article about the death of Gottany O’s. It took me to call you out for not reporting the Cheltenham deaths before you actually did so. Even then, it was just a couple of sentences added to the bottom of an article. Not good enough!!
 
Over2You said:
Loose horses have been a problem in racing for YEARS, so why the hell is it taking the BHA so bloody long to do something about it? If measures had been put in place to prevent loose horses continuing, then Synchronised could still be alive.
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What do you suggest, a helicopter with a lasso stationed at every fence? Get real, how can you make sure a loose horse stops in a race?
During a race there are several people stationed at each fence to do just that, catch any loose horses possible but those are usually ones that have refused the fence so are milling around between fences. I think even you will agree it's hard for a human to keep up let alone catch with a galloping horse.
 
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All you Grand National Haters and Ban the Grand National,, and Make the Grand National safer people have got a lot to answer for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sad 2 horses had to be PTS this year due to unavoidable accidents!

RIP boys!


Years ago when the fences were bigger the horses went slower and there were less accidents.

Years ago when the fences went all the way across the track there were not so many loose horses continuing round the course and there were less accidents.

Years ago when the fences went all the way across the course there was more of the jump for the horses to jump - more space less accidents.

I could go on and on.

The "SAFER" the Grand National has been made, the more dangerous it has become.

Bring on the 2013 Grand National I say, lets hope its as great a race as the 2012 one was.
 
Maesfen said:
What do you suggest, a helicopter with a lasso stationed at every fence? Get real, how can you make sure a loose horse stops in a race?
During a race there are several people stationed at each fence to do just that, catch any loose horses possible but those are usually ones that have refused the fence so are milling around between fences. I think even you will agree it's hard for a human to keep up let alone catch with a galloping horse.
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I would expect outriders at each and every fence. Ready to (if required) lasso loose horses. Sounds like a perfectly doable solution to me!!
 
Over2You said:
I would expect outriders at each and every fence. Ready to (if required) lasso loose horses. Sounds like a perfectly doable solution to me!!
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They do have outriders in some overseas tracks, and I agree it would be a good solution to catching up loose horses. I'm not sure what method they employ overseas though.
 
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Over2You said:
I would expect outriders at each and every fence. Ready to (if required) lasso loose horses. Sounds like a perfectly doable solution to me!!
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I can't see how this would be possible with all the other runners thundering
around the course, it would be too dangerous & would simply increase the carnage !
 
Over2You said:
I would expect outriders at each and every fence. Ready to (if required) lasso loose horses. Sounds like a perfectly doable solution to me!!
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Over2You, I was already incredulous that you actually had the nerve to put forward John Mc as an authority on horse racing (he is a tic tac man= deals with betting not horses!)
but then, with the suggestion above you really upped the anti.
Go away, you complete moron!
ETA the reasoning behind the larger field is the FACT that the National fences are nearly double the width (from wing to wing) of regulation chase fences. Anyone who has ridden maiden pointers will appreciate that it can be as scary with 4 random maidens heading at a fence, at least the majority of these horses are proven and seasoned jumpers.
 
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amymay said:
They do actually have outriders on some of the biggest tracks around the world - so not such a laughable solution actually.
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What complete with Lassos, I would like to see that, I know outriders at some tracks in the states are employed but these are flat meetings, just imagine the liklihood of chaos if these were at the GN.
 
Baggybreeches said:
Over2You, I was already incredulous that you actually had the nerve to put forward John Mc as an authority on horse racing (he is a tic tac man= deals with betting not horses!)
but then, with the suggestion above you really upped the anti.
Go away, you complete moron!
ETA the reasoning behind the larger field is the FACT that the National fences are nearly double the width (from wing to wing) of regulation chase fences. Anyone who has ridden maiden pointers will appreciate that it can be as scary with 4 random maidens heading at a fence, at least the majority of these horses are proven and seasoned jumpers.
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One of the most sensible posts to date.
 
Dobiegirl said:
What complete with Lassos, I would like to see that, I know outriders at some tracks in the states are employed but these are flat meetings, just imagine the liklihood of chaos if these were at the GN.
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No, no lassos as far as I'm aware. I don't know actually if it's jump or flat (but most likely flat come to think of it). It was actually mentioned on the BBC Grandnational prog as well about the possibility of introducing them to gather up loose horses.

But I have no idea whether it would work, or how sensible the suggestion is...
 
amymay said:
No, no lassos as far as I'm aware. I don't know actually if it's jump or flat (but most likely flat come to think of it). It was actually mentioned on the BBC Grandnational prog as well about the possibility of introducing them to gather up loose horses.

But I have no idea whether it would work, or how sensible the suggestion is...
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The loose horses are funnelled off where possible, it's getting them to split away from the field which is the biggest problem.
 
Amymay you wouldnt be able to gather up the loose horses on the track when the race is still in progress as it could just make the problem so much worse.

They could be used to catch any loose horses that went out one of the escape chutes to stop it going back on the course but thats the only instance where I can see they would be useful.
 
Baggybreeches said:
Over2You, I was already incredulous that you actually had the nerve to put forward John Mc as an authority on horse racing (he is a tic tac man= deals with betting not horses!)
but then, with the suggestion above you really upped the anti.
Go away, you complete moron!
ETA the reasoning behind the larger field is the FACT that the National fences are nearly double the width (from wing to wing) of regulation chase fences. Anyone who has ridden maiden pointers will appreciate that it can be as scary with 4 random maidens heading at a fence, at least the majority of these horses are proven and seasoned jumpers.
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So, I'm a moron for being anti-racing?? I am a moron for trying to come up with a solution (that is implemented in other countries) that could actually work??

As for John McCririck. He must rank lowly in your books since he actually speaks up for horse welfare. He is very vocal about his dislike of whips, so I must give him credit for that.

You actually disgust me with the sheer contempt in which you hold for people who are against racing.
 
Over2You said:
So, I'm a moron for being anti-racing?? I am a moron for trying to come up with a solution (that is implemented in other countries) that could actually work??

As for John McCririck. He must rank lowly in your books since he actually speaks up for horse welfare. He is very vocal about his dislike of whips, so I must give him credit for that.

You actually disgust me with the sheer contempt in which you hold for people who are against racing.
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I don't hold anyone in contempt for their views when they are presented with a rational argument backed up with fact.
I even have vegetarian friends........
 
Dab said:
Seen it in action on the flat, but as BB said it would be very difficult to split a loose horse away from the pack in a jumprace.
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While you have a couple of catcher uppers at pt to pt, they do not 'trespass' onto the track during a race to catch up but are there to field any that come off the track (courses are not fenced all the way around as they go across fields in most cases)
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Can you imagine the carnage as Bill rushes off to catch a horse only to find his horse likes it too much and wants to gallop after the field instead of catching said loose horse let alone the chance of colliding with other loose horses or a lowly straggler. H & S would have a field day and there would be more calamities than there already have been by the 'safer' changes so far
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Yep, that has to be one of the stupidest suggestions I've seen all year, OTY surpassed themselves this time.
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