So what winner for the National this year? My choices are Iron Man, In the High Grass and Dargent but not in that order.

When is it?

We never usually bet on horses, sometimes on the Grand National...I won one year!

5th April I think.

Yes, the 5th. I don't bet either unless I attend the meeting. The last time that I did that with a friend we picked five of the six winners on National day between us. A pity that we were only placing one pound bets but it was good fun.

Perhaps I should add a poll with all of the runners listed and ask you all to choose your favourite.

Oh I can't bear to watch all those horses being injured

I know how you feel, Lottie. It is tragic when an animal is injured. The National is a lot safer than it used to be with fewer runners and fences modified and less likely to cause accidents but no sport can ever be totally safe apart from ping-pong perhaps. (Someone is going to tell me how their friend's Great Aunt's next door neighbour but one got so excited that she had a collapse and died during a really lively game now !) The horses are big, solid hunter types, bred for chasing and they really do enjoy the thrill of it all. I remember when Red Rum had retired but was at Aintree on parade on National day. He looked excited and everyone could see that he really wanted to run with the others. Horses will often compete against each other on the hunting field and need to be held back. No trainer, owner or jockey wants to see a horse injured or killed but accidents will happen sometimes. Often the falls look much worse than they are though and the horses will tumble and do nothing more than get up, shake themselves and carry on racing. The loose horses can be dangerous to the others but O boy, don't they look proud when they finish the race first!

Note you can only put 20 options in a poll and there are more than 20 runners

Car Expert

I think I might have my priorities a bit mixed up when it comes to animals getting hurt and people getting hurt... If a horse falls I go "Oh no I hope it's OK!", but when the jockey falls I go "Haha did you see that he got trampled!"

I'm a bit like that too. I think it's because the animals aren't there from their own choice, but the jockeys have chosen to ride in the race and they understand the risks involved, the poor horses don't.

Yes, I'll join the club too ! AmandaL I think that's a large part of it.

Couldn't agree more!!

Just resurrecting this thread for today

Does anyone know, is it 4.15pm today as usual? I have a GCSE pupil coming for a duet rehearsal this afternoon sometime - but I want to make sure she isn't going to drop in half way through the race

If it's earlier than 4.15 she may watch it with me first

I have to say I don't get any pleasure from seeing jockeys being 'trampled'. Yes, they choose this dangerous livelihood, but I don't think you would get enjoyment from seeing the career ending - sometimes fatal - injuries that some of them have suffered.
No one wants to see horses hurt either, but as Petrat said accidents do happen. They happen in flat racing sometimes, and on the gallops at home. They happen hacking out and horses injure themselves galloping around in the field. The powers that be do all they can to make racing as safe as possible but it is impossible to make it risk free.
There are people who think all racing should be banned. Well, they are entitled to their opinion, but if I were to take up animal rights I think I would concentrate on battery hens and cases of neglect.

It is 4.15 ad_lib, yes.

Thanks Barry! Got my bets on

My family do like £1 bets (and then the parents do proper ones ) and we each choose a horse. This morning my mum shouted to me about which one I wanted and I hadn't even seen the paper and just randomly chose number 6 and number 6 is called madison something. I thought it was wierd cos people always think maddie is short for madison =o maybe thats just me!

Anyways we also have a sweepstake where we cut up the different horses from the newspaper and divide them between the four of us and whoever has the winning horse gets a fiver or a tenner. Hehe.

we cut up the different horses from the newspaper


glad to know it's only from the newspaper

It looks a very good day for the big race. Well said about the animal rights issues Enharmonic. These race horses are spoilt rotten and they do love their work. I wish that I could have gone to the meeting but King Rat is not well enough to leave really so we are watching it together on TV. You may well hear the yelling as I cheer them on!

Even a small shetland will dislodge a rider if they have a mind to. Infact the sweetist all black shetland you've ever seen is very good at this. I think the record was throwing someone 8 times in half an hour (they don't fall far). She loves jumping and most of it is boredom carrying endless beginners.

It's only in recent years that I've come to realise Horses have far more choice than we think.

I woooooon!!!!



Am £200 richer

Got Comply or Die at 10-1 this morning

My two horses came 3rd and 4th

Car Expert

Haha yeah only from the newspaper

I lost!
My brother had 2nd and 4th and my mum had 3rd but they hadn't gone e/w so didn't get anything. Oh well, was fun to watch . There were some nasty tumbles there though!
x

The sweetest part is, I'd put a tenner on Hedgehunter, then used my £20 free bet on Comply or Die

In v.good mood

Well done, ad lib! Hope you're going to treat us all to virtual drinks now!!

Definitely! Mine's a large G & T please.

Well done Ad Lib - there's nothing like seeing the horse you've backed getting its head in front where it matters.

well done ad_lib!

Here you all go

I don't drink so had a celebratory cup of coffee

Me and my sister, and parents, often go to meetings. We go into teams for betting, and McCoy is often there. We sometimes take the little boy who some of you may have at sometime seen on my profile picture. Well I always said he never smiled - McCoy, and he usually ended up pulling up his horse. Last time we went however, McCoy was walking past and we asked him if he would have a picture with the little lad. He said sure and stood next to it and in fact said ' I wont have it taken until he smiles nicely' Which made us all smile, and changed our opinion on him.

Today, the little lads Mum noticed that McCoy was running, and we now call him his Jockey Unfortunately he fell off his horse today, but still I just thought I would tell you all

I didnt have a bet in the race, but the radio presenter kept pronouncing the winners name wrong today as well

I grew up a few miles from Aintree, and the Grand National was always a big day in our house - we'd all choose our horses and my dad would go down to the bookie's with a list of 10p and 20p bets.

My brother had obviously kept up National day as an occasion in his house and it must be more than 10 years ago now, I was driving up north to visit my parents that day and stopped at his house for a break and we watched the race - my youngest niece must have been about 3 or 4 at the time. She knew it was a big sporting occasion, and of course the biggest sport on Merseyside is football. As we were all sat watching the race, cheering on our horses, she bounced around the room shouting "Come on Everton, Come on Everton" - it was very cute, but I can't quite believe just how thoroughly she'd been indoctrinated at such a young age!

Wow, cocktails - delicious! What will you spend your winnings on?

Well, I've been making noises about getting a saxophone, so it might go in the fund! I'll buy the family some nice earplugs too

I certainly hope the horses do enjoy the racing.

however ...

According to Animal Aid, 174 horses have now died in horse races in the UK since March last year.