This year’s Grand National fell flat and the worrying drop off in TV viewing figures shows the sport has a problem
EACH and everyone of us were relieved when all 32 Grand National runners came home safe and sound last Saturday.
But the industry-wide backslapping after this year’s big race left me a little queasy and was premature in the extreme, for several reasons.
Though others would have you think otherwise, the changes to the Aintree big’un have not solved the supposed National ‘problem’ — we are always going to be reliant on a huge slice of luck when it comes to fallers escaping injury.
Just think how different the vibes would have been last Sunday morning had the defending champ Corach Rambler done himself some serious harm when he fell when loose at the second fence.
Granted, last year’s race felt like a low point, what with the Animal Rising extremists delaying the race, the death of Hill Sixteen at the first fence and the subsequent flak the sport received from every direction.
If racing chiefs were ever going to react to outside pressure, it was after the 2023 renewal.
BetMGM: Get £60 in free bets -
Tote: Get £30 in free bets + 50 free spins -
William Hill: Get £40 in free bets (mobile only) -
Betfred: *New customers only. 09:00 on 08/03/24 – 17:30 on 15/03/24. Register with CHELT50. First bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports which settles before 23:59 on 15/03/24. Free Bets: £20 Horse Racing, £20 Football Acca & 50 x £0.20 (£10) Free Spins on Fishin’ Frenzy within 10 hours. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs apply.
BetMGM: New customers only. 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 6 x Free Bets: 4 x £10 Horse racing, 2 x £10 Acca Free Bets. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org
Tote: New customers online only. £10 min stake (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £30 Tote Credit + 50 Free Spins on selected game within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Tote credit subject to 7-day expiry. Free spins subject to 7-day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleaware.org.
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10 or more we will give you 4x £10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply.
But in performing this latest piece of plastic surgery, it feels like the race has lost the final slice of its soul.
Of course, there were much more drastic changes to the race 11 years ago, when they ripped the old timber fences out and replaced them with more forgiving plastic ones.
But for a decade I thought we’d struck the perfect balance. It still looked and felt like the National and we had some absolutely vintage results — think Pineau De Re, One For Arthur and Many Clouds.
From 2013 to 2018, we didn’t have a single horse death in the race, before a little spate of fatalities from 2019 onwards.
It was always a nip your bum cheeks together kind of watch. Dangerous, exciting, unpredictable, and the ultimate test of horse and jockey. It’s not any of those things any more.
There are a handful of races each year before which I get butterflies in the build-up, and the ‘Nash’ was always one. Sad to say, I didn’t have a single flutter in the old belly this year, and the race itself lacked totally in drama.
And, with the new reduced field size, it will now become the preserve of the most powerful yards. The days of the National fairytale are a thing of the past.
Dear old Kitty’s Light snuck in at the bottom of the weights, but a horse of his ability won’t stand a chance against the Grade 1 calibre beasts coming over from Ireland, not unless they sprout a fifth leg.
Checks are not consistent
ONE gripe I have with racing’s rulers is their lack of consistency.
At Newmarket on Thursday, Charlie Hills’ newcomer Lovemeforareason reared up, took a heavy tumble and got stuck under plastic rails in front of a packed parade ring during a live ITV broadcast.
Whether or not she was hurt, she gave herself a huge fright. I thought it was a 1.01 job she’d be scratched.
But a vet checked her over and let her run — and she promptly finished a distant last.
Now, just the other day, trainer John Berry was left miffed and out of pocket when his horse, Merrijig, was scratched after giving himself a small cut above one eye in his horsebox.
Vets admitted it wasn’t a welfare issue, but said it could ‘upset racegoers’.
If we are now scratching horses based on ‘perception’, how can they justify letting Lovemeforareason run?
Is it one rule for the big yards and another for the small’uns?
Perhaps the most worrying news in the National wash-up was the dramatic drop-off in viewing figures on ITV.
They reached a peak of 6.1 million, down from 7.5 million last year and over 10 million a decade or so ago.
Is that down to the coverage itself, which sometimes has a forced-fun, rose-tinted spectacle feel about it? Might be.
It could be down to poor promotion of the big day, or simply the fact people don’t watch as much TV as they used to.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
But I’m not buying the excuse we’ve been fed about the 4pm off-time or the fact it was a sunny day having a negative impact on the numbers. That’s just cobblers.
Maybe people just don’t love the race like they used to. After last week, even fewer will.
FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who: