[Other Sport] The Grand National - Official Match Day Thread

[Coldeanseagull]

Great day out all round
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Both teams to score? What is wrong with you!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Mrs T has just ruffled feathers in her watsapp group by carefully explaining how being a vegetarian and animal rights supporter and sitting at home watching a 'sport' that has killed 2 horses this year makes you a ****.

Doesn't mess about, does she.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Idiot attention seeking vegans.

All so boring now.

Maybe water cannon or tasers to speed things up in 12 months time?

 

[A1X]

Somewhat ironic that after the protest a horse literally died at the first fence, rather proving their point.

Utter barbarism.

 

[BrianB]

Did I hear the itv commentator saying all sports have an element of danger and then comparing a boxer to a racehorse??.
One way to promote animal rights.

 

[Clive Walker]

Been a racing fan for most of my life. It’s in my blood from when my grandfather used to take me to the donkey derby in Ireland to a momentous day at the Cheltenham gold cup seeing long run defeat both kauto star and denman. I’ve known “horse people” from jockeys, trainers and owners. I’ve pumped money in myself and got a huge amount of joy out of it.

I now think the grand national should be stopped. It’s pointless altering by reducing the fences, field or distance. It just wouldn’t be the same race. The stats regarding horse welfare for that particular race are dreadful. A horse suffering a heart attack approaching a fence is just disgraceful.

Horses love to jump and as a pack animal they will jump regardless of having a jockey ride them or not (as seen in the race) but the fences and landing drop is still too severe.

I wouldn’t cancel horse racing in its entirety but it needs proper reform.

So after many years I concede that the national should be stopped.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Maybe water cannon or tasers to speed things up in 12 months time?

Don't the horses suffer enough as it is?

 

[Eeyore]

Somewhat ironic that after the protest a horse literally died at the first fence, rather proving their point.

Utter barbarism.

A horse trainer quoted by the Beeb claimed it was the protestors fault for delaying the race and causing stress.

Firstly, I am going to front my own hypocrisy here. I have often bet on the race.

However, on Saturday I found myself very neutral, even slightly supportive of the protest.

The Grand National is claimed as a tradition. So was public hanging for hundreds of years. Tradition is dead people telling us what to do.

Those who call it a tradition should consider why. Without millions of pounds in betting and huge commercialisation it would not even exist. If no money was to be made it would soon be rested.

It is cruel, yes. And horses suffer- as indeed they do on many a jump course. Racing is a money making exercise first and foremost.

As with all traditions, they often come to a natural end. Such has my interest and support for the race. It's not essential, and the libraries of history will show the great races of the past. I don't revise history in shame, I just feel it's time to move on.

Opposition to the race is nothing new. I remember talking to a teacher about it back in my school days. He was utterly opposed to it. Horses do love to race, and I am not opposed to flat racing.

But, yes, it is time.

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

A horse trainer quoted by the Beeb claimed it was the protestors fault for delaying the race and causing stress.

It was the trainer of the horse that was killed...

If he was so adamant the horse was freaked out by the delay why didn't he withdraw it ?

 

[A1X]

A horse trainer quoted by the Beeb claimed it was the protestors fault for delaying the race and causing stress.

I cite Mandy Rice-Davies on that one

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Fully-automated, riderless horses is the way forward.

A cross between robot wars and F1.