WarwickUniWolf wrote:Many are calling for the field to be reduced - I don't particularly see what good this would do. Horses will still be 2/3 deep when trying to get on the inside, and if reduced to 25 as someone suggested in the media, then the Grand National will be no bigger than a regular steeplechase.
andym's comment is spot on. The speed on Saturday was ferocious, not helped IMO by the false starts and if there's anyone to place some blame upon then it is the jockeys. Many seemed spooked by the delay and seemed desperate to hit the front on the first fence.
Synchronised being allowed to run loose for a good few minutes, combined with the delay caused by the false starts, was surely not great for the horses. Surrounded by that many other horses, not to mention the noise that will be generated, would surely get some horses a little edgy.
Can never see the race being scrapped. Many people go to Aintree on the Saturday and have no interest in racing for the other days of the year, they just recognise the National and want the day out. If the race was severely altered, or even replaced, then Aintree would lose out on a hell of a lot of money, not to mention the pubs, restaurants, hotels and other public services of Merseyside. The sponsors, employers that provide race-day services (both on and off course) and bookies (chain and independent) would all be up in arms.
