No deaths or Injuries in the Grand National 2013!

I did like the fact that the parade was any order. Gives the horses and jockeys less time to stress and the stable staff dont stress that they are in the wrong place thus stressing horse and jockey more!

Can you tell I hate parades?! :D
 
FionaM12 said:
Oh I see. So your comment was based on your opinion of cptrayes, not on the content of her post?

I suggest in that case that you also have an agenda.
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Nope, my comment was based on what she wrote - looking for injuries to defend her stance.
 
Tbf, for those of us who have said it lacked something, it's no different to when posts have appeared on this forum saying that Badminton's xc day was boring...

Also agree re the tv coverage, you can't do a course that big with an overhead camera!
 
teapot said:
Tbf, for those of us who have said it lacked something, it's no different to when posts have appeared on this forum saying that Badminton's xc day was boring...

Also agree re the tv coverage, you can't do a course that big with an overhead camera!
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The overhead camera was only used on the replay.
 
teapot said:
Tbf, for those of us who have said it lacked something, it's no different to when posts have appeared on this forum saying that Badminton's xc day was boring...

Also agree re the tv coverage, you can't do a course that big with an overhead camera!
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Totally agree about the overhead camera. When the BBC did it the camera filmed the start of the race from the ground, right near the runners. This time it all felt a bit too 'distant'. Too many ad breaks as well!

Apart from that I'm thrilled that all got home safely :)
 
Loved it! SO pleased everyone came back ok - yes of course, there could be a few lamenesses that could present afterwards BUT there were no injuries at showing after the race which for me would say there is unlikely to be any major injuries 48 hrs after seeing as each horse will have been checked over by the vets post race.
I thought just letting them get on with it and go without that blooming parade round and round in circles was really good as I am sure it must mean the horses (and jockeys) don't have so much time to get wound up and tense.

It was great to see them ALL clear fence after fence and yes there were a few fallers, jockeys unseated and those who pulled up (horses are often pulled up so that's no different than usual). There still seemed to be an awful lot of finishers and many looking pretty good and not labouring at the end. Loved the loose horse that came second when his ears pricked as he crossed the finish line - I think he believed he'd done good! :D

Oh and of course, fantastic for Sue and Harvey - A Yorkshire win! Yay! :D
 
3Beasties said:
Did anyone see the footage on Red Rum shown on C4 today? It showed the Grand National in it's full glory, big, difficult fences tackled at a sensible pace. Back then there weren't as many fatalities, yes there were some but not as many as there have been in recent years.
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Actually, I think there were 9 deaths in the 1970's, over that decade. There were also nine in the decade 2003-present. So the same.
 
It may well have been bad footage as I only watched on TV but the fences didn't look as challenging as usual.

It's similar however IMHO in comparing the olympic XC courses to Badminton - the Olympics have to be open to every country and hence the course has to be possible for those that don't have 4* courses at home. I walked the course in Athens and thought quite a few of the fences I'd like to have a go at, when I walk Badminton even for the 'breather' fences I;m very glad I'm on foot. People still enjoy the olympic XC day - it just isn;t a patch on Badders/ Burghley
 
Caledonia said:
Nope, my comment was based on what she wrote - looking for injuries to defend her stance.
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Because I didn't have an agenda, I wasn't aware of any "stance" so just took her perfectly fair observation (ie we can't be sure there were no injuries) at face value. :)

I often have the same thought when we are told by tv etc that there have been no injuries at an event; that they can't know for sure that some aren't lame or might be so in the morning. It doesn't mean I'm not glad to hear that there are believed to be no injuries. :)
 
FionaM12 said:
Because I didn't have an agenda, I wasn't aware of any "stance" so just took her perfectly fair observation (ie we can't be sure there were no injuries) at face value. :)

I often have the same thought when we are told by tv etc that there have been no injuries at an event; that they can't know for sure that some aren't lame or might be so in the morning. It doesn't mean I'm not glad to hear that there are believed to be no injuries. :)
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And I totally believe you. :)

Just not her. ;)
 
What an exciting race, and well done to all who worked so hard to make the course safer. I was quite worried that with the lack of rain the ground would be too fast, and they does seem to contribute to the injuries, but I heard they even watered the course before?

I had money on Cappa Bleu and the gorgeous Imperial Commander - I was almost relieved that Sam TW pulled Commander up soon as he felt him tire! Love that horse :)

And also - well ridden Sam Waley-Cohen - 3rd in the Gold Cup and National in the same year? That's not too shabby for an amateur!!
 
Glad they all came back safe!

Had £2 on Cappa Bleu each way :)

Anyone else miss the Champions music at the start felt weird not having it. Surprised they didn't do a different introduction to the programme rather than the standard theme tune etc.

Didn't mind the camera angles tbh though some were a bit far away. Would like to see some hat cam shots think that would make exciting viewing.

Also liked that they showed some of the parade of past winners but they did rush through it a bit & not show it all. Was tempted to download the app but didn't in the end but have seen people on here saying it was good.
 
I thought it was a fab race, and so good to see so few fallers! I really hope the changes that have been made continue to have an effect on the safety of the race, and I really couldn't give a monkey's if the race seems "flat" or "boring" compared to previous years, so long as the horses get round safely.
 
Watering of racetracks is quite frequent to get the ground you want and for jumping. Firm ground all round is not allowed for jumping, good to firm is but Good ground is preferable. Watering is no easy task as you need yo guage how much to put on to get the ground you want - too much and you create uneven ground and false patches, not enough and the grounds too hard. Its an exact science only known to groundsmen and clerks of courses lol
 
Aintree have said that they will always water the course to slow everybody down.....although I guess they wouldn't if it was already soft/heavy ! That's why Mr Frisk's record will stand forever.
 
So happy that the race was such a success today, just what was needed after last year.

A fabulous sunny day, a hugely exciting race, and all riders and horses home safe and sound...couldn't have gone better IMO.

Congratulations to the winner and to everyone who worked hard to make the race enjoyable again :)
 
Barry Geraghty's comment summed the race up.

He said the change in the core of the fences has prevented the horses turning over.

There were no rotational falls in the race and for me, this has to be a good thing for the public's perception of the sport.

I just wonder how the horses who have run today, will perform over park fences in the future. I assume they will be well schooled prior to meeting the solid fences again. It did appear that once the dressing had been kicked off the national fences the core was little more than 3' high and this enabled so many to keep going as well as they did. If you look at the breeding of many of the horses they are flat bred and small light framed horses.

The days of stoutly bred NH horses are gone. Clare Balding made me smile when she spoke to a stable lad, she said the horse was huge - he must be 16.2h. Twenty years ago that would be average and would be standing over a lot of good quality bone. Today's racehorse is a very different animal.
 
AdorableAlice said:
The days of stoutly bred NH horses are gone. Clare Balding made me smile when she spoke to a stable lad, she said the horse was huge - he must be 16.2h. Twenty years ago that would be average and would be standing over a lot of good quality bone. Today's racehorse is a very different animal.
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Alice said the same about Sprinter Sacre yesterday too - made me chuckle cos hes substantially bigger than Grape, and shes somewhere around the 16.2 mark...

I think the start worked well - Im another who thought that was wrong, but actually, the jumbled parade and the quieter start worked well. The race is still a challenge - its just no longer the handicap chase it used to be so there are less fairy stories - Mr Frisk's record is safe now Id say - iirc they are planning to water so its no worse than good from now on.
Im glad the fences look the same as before (but smaller!) but are safer for the horses - but I also agree with the others that some of them are able to be almost hurdled - its always been meant to be the biggest test of jumping and stamina.

All in all though - its done what everyone in racing hoped it would, and now the anti's can only bemoan the fact that there were no deaths for them to complain about. Long may that continue :)

Well done Aintree
 
I for one am glad that they have changed the format. I wasn't sure about the lowered fences and new format but although it detracted from the 'what if' side of the race it was lovely to see all of the horses jump not just the first fence but second and more with no fallers as usual. Less faffing at the start and yes; the softer core made it easier but I'd rather see that than rotational falls by the dozen.
 
It was fantastic. Once they all jumped the first so cleanly I instantly relaxed. And the fences kept on coming and so did the horses! Brilliant.

And it wouldn't be a Grand National without some H&H misery guts :D

Was lovely to see the one with no jockey come in behind the leader too. I was rooting for him and his lovely red saddle ;)
 
maggiestar said:
Totally agree about the overhead camera. When the BBC did it the camera filmed the start of the race from the ground, right near the runners. This time it all felt a bit too 'distant'. Too many ad breaks as well!

Apart from that I'm thrilled that all got home safely :)
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I suspect the safety changes to the start also included the positioning of cameras.

Ad breaks - I always wonder how people don't notice the BBC does loads of promo ads within their coverage especially stuff over 3/4 hours. Or is it that its artistic and therefore doesn't count.
 
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