Grand National, will you or won't you?

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Tori

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Will you be watching it/betting on the outcome? I have chosen my three horses and will have a flutter tomorrow.
My horse sadly has tendon problems so will not be racing this year so I've had to pick another favourite this year.

Post your faves/winners here and let everyone know how much you won/lost! :)
 
The grand national is the only time I ever enter a bookies. I know next to nothing about horse racing. When I bet on the grand national I only ever bet on one of the outsiders. I have never won anything yet but there's always hope.

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Same here Stephen with the bookies. I go to newmarket to the races a fair bit, but only ever bet in a bookies on grand national day. I've had a few nice wins, and the way my luck has been in the last couple of weeks I'm hoping for a win this weekend!
So, have you picked a horse yet? :)
 
No, because it's the cruelest horse event of them all and pushes many horses to within an inch of their life and some to death (30 since 1997). And that's just the lucky few of the thousands bred that last long enough to reach the event; what happens to the others that don't meet the grade? No one really knows, but that can only be a bad thing!
 
I had a feeling this point of view would come up at some point. I can see your point, but horses are born to run, and if they didn't want to do, they wouldn't!! (See the grey from last year, it didn't want to go, so it didn't and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to make it!)
Yes it pushes horses to their limit, they are indeed the bravest horses, but I do believe they kind of enjoy it!
 
I'll put a few quid on I think. Anyone got any insider tips? :naughty: I just tend to pick fun names! :LOL:
 
Tori said:
Same here Stephen with the bookies. I go to newmarket to the races a fair bit, but only ever bet in a bookies on grand national day. I've had a few nice wins, and the way my luck has been in the last couple of weeks I'm hoping for a win this weekend!
So, have you picked a horse yet? :)
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To be honest I have not even looked to see who is running this year. I will probably do the same as I do every year and just pick one in the bookies, usually one with 150-1 next to it :)

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Tori said:
I had a feeling this point of view would come up at some point. I can see your point, but horses are born to run, and if they didn't want to do, they wouldn't!! (See the grey from last year, it didn't want to go, so it didn't and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to make it!)
Yes it pushes horses to their limit, they are indeed the bravest horses, but I do believe they kind of enjoy it!
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5 horses died at the event last year and another 5 the year before. 370 horses die every year as a result of horse racing, and they're the lucky few who get as far running races. 15,000 horses are bred for racing every year but only 1/3rd ever run a single race.

Ever heard the phrase 'flogging a dead horse'? That's exactly what horse racing is, and the Grand National more than any other event.

I'm amazed that so many people got so angry seeing an elephant chained and kicked in a circus but so few seem to care about horses being stabled for 20 hours a day and then whipped to the absolute limit, and beyond, for their own enjoyment and possibly financial gain. Talk about double standards :(
 
Hmmmmmm.

There speaks someone with a very limited and simplistic knowledge of equine sport in this country.
 
DemiLion said:
Hmmmmmm.

There speaks someone with a very limited and simplistic knowledge of equine sport in this country.
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Here here, :clap:

just a little pointer though the "whips" that they use are covered with very very thick felt and a jockey is only allowed to "whip" (as you want to call it) 3 times then that is it.


As a person who is involved in the training of point to pointer I am not even going to start an arguement.

Think what you will. :shrug:
 
Oh dear Tori, you seem to have opened up a can of worms, with this thread, bets already on (y)
 
When exactly did I call you a liar?!
 
Not going to get involved in the cruelty debate so back to the original post....

The National is the only race I tend to bet on. Haven't bet or seen it for a few years simply because I must have been busy doing something else but I have identified my 4 horses for tomorrow. Have steered clear of greys, youngsters, pensioners, non UK/Irish breds... and Mr Ferguson's... as I'm a Mighty Red!
 
Silver by Nature, Google it.

local horse to me and the stable have had a good run with winners this season. It has a good chance but it will have a great chance if the ground is wet and it's raining.
 
Not watching as I'll be out, but have Killyglen @ 66-1 in the sweepstake at work.

But will be having eachway on Beauseicouldntsee @ 20-1 and Silver By Nature @ 14-1. So if you where going to pick those ones........













....RUN AWAY
 
Ha ha, well, I have Vic Venturi (For no other reason than my name is Victoria) and Golden Kite as an outsider. I keep changing my mind about my third. I'll wait until i buy the paper tomorrow I think :)
 
Ive got King Fontaine in the sweepstake at work so that will pull up before the 3rd fence I spect.
 
Tori said:
Ha ha, well, I have Vic Venturi (For no other reason than my name is Victoria) and Golden Kite as an outsider. I keep changing my mind about my third. I'll wait until i buy the paper tomorrow I think :)
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Golden Kite is one of mine too so (y).... good luck to us!
 
I've grown up surrounded by horses and have enough knowledge and experience to know what's fair and unfair treatment of an animal. If you regard that as simplistic then fine; if it takes direct involvement in the 'sport' to progress from anything beyond a simplistic understanding then I'm proud to say my knowledge is simplistic.

Briony said:
Here here, :clap:

just a little pointer though the "whips" that they use are covered with very very thick felt and a jockey is only allowed to "whip" (as you want to call it) 3 times then that is it.


As a person who is involved in the training of point to pointer I am not even going to start an arguement.

Think what you will. :shrug:
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3 whips? You're having a laugh surely! Watch this video from 8:40 and count. I bet you'll get to over 3.

[YOUTUBE]G4aYO1YBpq0[/YOUTUBE]




During human endurance events athletes push themselves to the limit and it's virtually unheard of for anyone to drop dead from extreme over exertion and if it was commonplace the event would probably get shut down. I see no justification why standards should be any different in the instance of horses.

That said, we're obviously never going to see eye-to-eye so I'm done before I mention fox hunting :exit:
 
Horses don't drop dead from over exersion, they generally hurt themselves. It's sad, but it happens. Use of a whip is limited as Nicky says. I've not watched the video but I'm sure someone was aprehended if it was bad.
The trouble with the pc brigade is that if we all had that opinion the world would be a very boring place where we all ate lettuce leaves and wore rubber crocs and watched out fellow man die rather than let him live at the expense of an animal.
I have as much disgust as the next person as regards to animal cruelty but we have to be realistic here.
I bet you wear leather shoes? How cruel! Eat meat? Murderer! Quit whining, im sure there are awful cases of cruelty in horseracing, but most are very well looked after! We're top of the food chain. I for one will enjoy my bacon butty while watching a few million quids worth of top class horses (that show no signs of neglet whatsoever, and run because they are born to run) do their thing. I hope they all get round safely.


Funny none of the pc brigade have mentioned how many jockeys have died racing...maybe they care more for animals than their fellow man.
 
About 4 or 5 strikes by my count, and certainly not excessive use.

The simplistic remark referred to this:

TriggerHappy said:
... and they're the lucky few who get as far running races. 15,000 horses are bred for racing every year but only 1/3rd ever run a single race.
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Btw if you think that it's unheard of for athletes to push themselves over the limit, then you are in for a shock if you look up the statistics for the incidents of heart attacks during marathons. The only reason for the lack of fatalities is the difference in human and equine biology and the medical approach to both respectively.
 
TriggerHappy said:
I've grown up surrounded by horses and have enough knowledge and experience to know what's fair and unfair treatment of an animal. If you regard that as simplistic then fine; if it takes direct involvement in the 'sport' to progress from anything beyond a simplistic understanding then I'm proud to say my knowledge is simplistic.



3 whips? You're having a laugh surely! Watch this video from 8:40 and count. I bet you'll get to over 3.[YOUTUBE]G4aYO1YBpq0[/YOUTUBE]




During human endurance events athletes push themselves to the limit and it's virtually unheard of for anyone to drop dead from extreme over exertion and if it was commonplace the event would probably get shut down. I see no justification why standards should be any different in the instance of horses.

That said, we're obviously never going to see eye-to-eye so I'm done before I mention fox hunting :exit:
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Jockeys use the whip to actually, hustle the horse along i.e rub it up the sides of the horse never actually bring it away from the sides to actually hit the horse.

Jockey club rules state that 3 strikes to the horse then pulled up. Very strict at the point to points i.e and weald marks on the horse then up in front of the stewards :shrug: most jockeys adhere to this as if caught then a race ban for them :shrug:
 
i like to get the paper and let the kids pick a horse each for a bit of fun... and then tell them that Dad will put the 'proper bets' on. Not won a carrot for years! :LOL:
 
I'm sure horses have dropped dead but I don't think that's that common? More break legs etc and are put to sleep which is sad.
Wasn't it Mill Reef who broke a leg and they made him better? He was only the second horse to ever recover from such an injury and the cost was huge but his owner loved him. There's a statue at the national stud saying about it. I beat Mill Reef wasn't whipped or mistreated. Most owners love their horses. And not all race horses are miserable. My friend does point to point. Her horse lives in a nice field by her house with a donkey and another horse and goes for rides in the woods and is very happy. Better than being abandoned in a field.
Go golden kite tomorrow!!! :)
 
I will be having a flutter for sure. Bigmanthanks or something similar I think it's called.
 
Jon I'm starting to feel like the pc brigade are following me around. I'm glad it's not a biking forum, I'd have to start a thread about counter steering.....
 
Tori said:
I'm sure horses have dropped dead but I don't think that's that common?
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Reasonably so I'm afraid. The most recent case that I know of was Spring Along two weeks ago at Gatcombe.
 
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