Some quite significant changes to the great race for next year. Grand National field to be cut in safety move
A good move really & bowing to non race going public demand . I was hoping to watch " The Virtual Grand National " on ITV tonight but it's not on but will have a my usual 4 bets & £10 stake tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock for best odds guaranteed .
4.00 start time for the GN , it's usually after football has finished , weird . 1) VANILLIER 12/1 £2 eway ( 2nd in race last year ) 2) DELTA WORK 20/1 £1.50 eway ( missed race at Cheltenham & beat Tiger Roll in Cross Country couple of years back , class horse , lots of weight though . 3) LATENIGHTPASS 40/1 £1 eway ( has won over these fences in Fox Hunters , trip a slight worry ) 4) ROI MARGE 50/1 50p eway ( has top French Champion jockey aboard & was 7th in race last year ) All prices bet365 & best odds . 5) MEETINGOFTHEWATERS 11/1 ) £1 free win bet William Hill ) Magniers silks won 2 here yesterday , off a good weight ) Be lucky if you have a bet , fingers crossed all the horses are back home safe & sound tonight .
Delta Work was 3rd at 28/1 so of the £10 spent I got £9.90 back & the best thing all horses went home safe & sound & the amount of finishers I think 21 out of 32 started was best for ages , well done to the folks making the new rules .
The National.always started at 3:45, which was half time at the footie so you could listen to the race on your wireless.
The powers that be at Aintree deserve a huge amount of credit for the work they've done over the past year. I know some within the sport weren't keen on the changes to the track but the fact that so many runners got round safely on Saturday, with none falling, is a huge boost not just for the National itself but the whole of jump racing. The question that the sport should now be focused on is whether any of the lessons applied to the National can be applied across the wider sport. Any discussion of that kind should also look at field sizes. When cutting the maximum National field was being mooted in the immediate aftermath of last year, I was worried that they would go too far and risk creating demand for an extra race that would potentially create an even bigger problem. Going from 40 to 34 feels like a sensible middle ground for me. They brought it back to 4pm from 5.15 this year because they thought the ground might dry out too much with a later start time, a decision that seems rather ironic with the winter we've had. That said, I remember listening to Amberleigh House win the National while watching Town play Sheffield Wednesday at Blundell Park. I'd tipped him to quite a few university friends in the build-up, one of whom very excitedly rung me straight after the race. Ridiculous to think that was 20 years ago now.
Not the GN but also not worth it's own thread. I am going to Windsor for the Family 'fun' day on Monday. If anyone has any tips for me to bet my children on then let me know. If not, ill just bet my mortgage on the horse with 3 legs.
