Grand National Field Remains The Same

As a racing enthusiast I welcome the new changes made in the review.

The levelling on the landing side of several of the fences is very positive.  Bechers "undergo further levelling of the wider landing zone, correcting the settlement which occurred following work carried out in 2011". In my view, any changes to Bechers Brook is a good thing seeing as out of all the deaths in the National from horses falling at fences, out of 46 fatalities since the race started in 1839, 14 of those have been at Bechers, compared to the next highest of 6 at fence 4 (or 20 on 2^nd time round).

These changes to the fences come, even though this year’s National, none of the fences were directly to blame for the 2 fatalities of Synchronized and According To Pete. They had been looked at and changed the previous year after Ornais and Dooney’s Gate were both fatally killed in falls, directly attributed to the fences. Those changes have so far have been proven to be effective. However any amendments to fences that will enhance safety to the horses, is surely a welcome development.

The fence design project at Aintree will last 3 years and focus on using materials, other than the timber and protective rubber padding that make up the central frame at present. The fence heights will remain unchanged, which is not a bad thing, as that is what the Grand National essentially is all about.

Other changes will include the start of the race being altered. After the fiasco of this year’s start, this is yet another welcome change.  £100,000 is being invested in an irrigation system that will help create the "the safest jumping ground possible". They are all, very commendable changes.

However, In April I made my point of saying that the run to the first fence was too fast and needed to be slowed down somehow. Bringing the start 90 yards closer will help slightly. The reason they go so fast though is because if you’re out the front, you are out of trouble. So the jockeys urge their horse to go as fast as they can to get into the best position. 40 horses going at top speed over the first fence is extremely dangerous.

And that brings my point to where I do not agree with the review, and that is they are keeping the field size to the maximum number of 40. Now although the size of the field is a big part of what makes the National, it could be one of the biggest risks. 40 horses at top speed over the first fence at once, is a recipe for disaster. There is no room to correct themselves if they stumble or if a horse does come down in front of them, there is no room to manoeuvre out of the way and hence the number of horses brought down is high. The risk remains high until the field thins out on the 2^nd circuit. I do think this is the reviews only mistake, but only time will tell, and I do hope that the changes that are being made do work well, and that there are no more fatalities. It’s great to see Aintree making these positive steps.

You will still get your haters of the Grand National, where nothing is good enough. And you cannot please everyone. The safety of the horse is paramount and any steps towards keeping this amazing animals as safe as possible, is a very good thing indeed.