A race apart or just another handicap?

Todays National is looked upon as the highlight of the season by many,a once a year betting opportunity by some,just another race by others.As racing fans how do we view it?
For me it still holds all the mystique and magic that it did when i first became hooked on this game and whilst its safe to say that it isnt the test that it once used to be it still takes a horse and jockey combination showing all the right attributes to be victorious.It puts racing on the front,back and middle pages for one day and while that isnt a bad thing it would be good if it converted just a fraction of those once a year 50pew punters into something of a more regular racing type.Of course you get the hard nosed brigade who look upon it as just another staying handicap and while i can see where they come from on some aspects ie its a classier race race year on year and the winners tend to fit a series of trends and still cant fathom out why it doesnt fire a little emotion in them.
As a regular racegoer,punter(rarely),owner and general racing buff i still love this day for what it is and although i would,given the choice,go to the Festival in front of Aintree i still wouldnt miss it for the world.

Long live the National,keep the do gooders away and lets hope all horses and riders come back in one piece.

It has become a better race in the recent 10 years or so, with better quality animals taking part

Swanseadabber wrote:It has become a better race in the recent 10 years or so, with better quality animals taking part

Absolutely Swansea.

I'd say it's a race apart.

I think most trainers would rather have a Cheltenham Gold Cup over a Grand National but I think most Owners would want to win a Grand National over a Gold Cup.

A lucky few will win both

Solerina

I think the crowds at Aintree today showed that the National is alive and well,lets hope it never returns to the dark days of the late seventies when it looked like Aintree was on the verge of shutting down.
Ive watched the race a few times,you always seem to spot something different every time and the ground that State of Play makes up over the last three is untrue,if only he didnt hit a flat spot every time he runs he could well have won one of these by now.

I was really frustrated by the Grand National on Saturday.

The 2 horse deaths (and the jockey currently in a coma) have generated a lot of negative headlines. I just feel that perhaps the problem racing has got is that the Grand National is the wrong showpiece occasion for the sport. if I was a once year punter I would be turned off for another year after Saturday to be honest. I am speaking here from experience as up until I was 30 (im 38 now) I pretty much watched only 1 race and that was the National. Then I started to follow Cheltenham more closely, and the flat racing festivals and have been hooked ever since.

Looking back to Cheltenham Gold Cup day which was just such a great day, capped by a tremendous Gold Cup race I just think it is a shame that it will have bypassed most of the country by. I had a conversation with a work colleague on Friday who told me that he had picked Oscar Time in the National and I was enthusing about Sam Waley Cohen's ride in the Gold Cup on board Long Run. The guy had not even heard of Long Run!!!

Now that I have taken more of an interest in racing I appreciate that the Gold Cup is the race really to win and that the National really is a bit of fun. You are also more likely to pick the winner of the Gold Cup! How to communicate that to the general public though I dont know.

Good post steveo

Solerina