Grand National is a term used to refer to one of UK’s most popular horse racing event. Sometimes, the term National Hunt racing is used. But that is a more general term, referring to the sport of horse racing in the UK.
Grand National refers to a more specific event. It is an event that is immensely popular, even for those who don’t usually watch horse racers. In other words, it is more a mainstream National event rather than a typical horse race. So what gives rise to this popularity? And how is the Grand National different from any other National Hunt races?
Usually, for ordinary horse racing, someone betting on the horses will do tons of research on the horse, the jockey, and the trainer. How did the horse perform previously? What about the jockey? Does he win races regularly? Such thoughts are constantly flowing through the mind of the individual.
That is understandable because in ordinary horse races, speed, power and consistency matters most. Hot favorites are popular for good reason. The horses do win races. You may see an unpopular horse, winning the race with odds at 50 to 1 or even 100 to 1. But those are such rare occasions that it may take you years before you see a winning ticket!
Grand National is a completely different race altogether. The main difference lies in the difficulty of the race course. In total, there are 30 obstacles that must be cleared. These obstacles are known as hurdles or fences. During the race, the horses are required to clear each of the fences twice. It does sound like a steeple chase event, except that it’s for race horses.
As you can imagine, most race horses are built for speed and power. They are not required to clear fences during races. That is why it is not uncommon to see horses fumbling when it comes to clearing the fences. In fact, the accident rate is so high that Grand National has become one of the most controversial event in the UK. Both horses and jockeys are at risk of being injured during the race.
Perhaps the fences do have their own role to play. They make the race more exciting to watch, compared to traditional horse races. It doesn’t matter if you know absolutely nothing about the horses, the jockeys, and the trainers. In a National Grand race, anything can happen. Even horses that are predicted to have no chance of winning may win the event! You just never know.
The event is telecast live on UK television every year to thousands of fans. The event itself is already very exciting. When you place bets on the horses, you now have something to cheer for. Win, lose or draw, everyone goes home happy after an electrifying experience at Aintree race track.
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Help answer the question about horse racing
Does anyone actually like horse racing, if they aren't putting a bet on?I mean if there's no money at stake, does anyone actually enjoy Horse Racing?
Isn't it just a sport for gambling?
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Nice work, you did pretty good.
You’re really good man. You’ve got excellent talent.
As I always say, there's a village missing it's idiot somewhere and they can usually find them trolling on here. They think that if they repeatedly ask the same question and rave their PETA misinformation, that someone might actually end up agreeing with them. Let's hope not!
Most owners actually don't make money racing.
Only about 70% of all Thoroughbreds ever get to the races, and only about 55% of all Thoroughbreds ever win a race. It costs about $25,000, give or take a few thousand, to keep a horse in training for a year; more for the major racing centers like New York or Southern California, less for tracks away from the major population centers. roughly 10-15% of all Thoroughbreds earn enough money during the course of a year to cover their training expenses.
Some owners can recover the residual value of their horse at the end of its racing career by selling, but most racehorses– particular male racehorses– have residual value that is low or even zero at the end of their racing careers.
Basically, most people who are in racing are in it for the excitement, the fun, the competition; and the hope that maybe they'll be the one to strike it rich with a horse like Mine That Bird– or one of his relatives. It's the hope of getting that one special horse, plus the love of racing in general, that keeps people going.
Perfect.
Hi,
A jockey has a very dangerous job, but a very important one. He must guide the horse in the correct way as to know how his horse runs, and performs during a race. It is his responsibility to get his horse in the correct position, and know how to guide him through traffic going at very high speeds while the rest of the field is fighting to do the same. Jockey error has played a huge roll in injuries to other jockey's and horses. The horse does the running, but it is up to the jockey to know how fast the horse runs, and when to ask the horse for his best without compromising. So the roll of a jockey is very important. Without a jockey it would be like racing a car with no driver. Hope this explains it to you.
http://www.xpressbet.com
You have to sign up, but it's completely free. There's no fees for watching or betting. And they have like 60 tracks you can watch. It's a great service.
Several tracks have their own broadcasts on their website, but xpressbet is great because you can get all the tracks in one place and place a bet if you'd like.
hm i couldn’t tell the difference between photograph and painting comparing the final resault.
This is sick
You need to go to a reputable trainer and tell him you're interested in buying a horse. Tell him how much you've got to spend and he'll do the rest. He might have a horse in his yard that's already for sale or he might go out and buy one for you.
Don't go buying horses over the internet!
The flat trainer Richard Hannon has had some good successes with cheaply bought horses in the past. He trains in Wiltshire.
http://richardhannonracing.tv/
Don't forget you'll have to contribute towards the horse's training expenses every week so the more people involved the cheaper it will be.
Its people like you, that pissin' an moanin', that ruin the world…………………..
i don't like the gambling, the horse race is alright, mainly only good in the Kentucky Derby when you are really rooting for a horse to get the triple crown
:O
:O
:O
how is this not a real photo?
amazing! Willy teach me how to paint like you!
woww that’s really relax and beatiful soung .good picture of jhony depp !
Very nice!!
Brilliant Willy, Just Brilliant =D
I think this gives a good explanation of the definition of the various track conditions:
http://www.ultimatecapper.com/track-conditions.htm
That said, it's important to note that because there is no standard for track composition in terms of sand, silt, clay, loam, organic matter, and every track is different, each track plays differently. To cite one example, the track at Aqueduct has a high sand content because the dates run at Aqueduct are typically the wettest times of the year. So the track superintendent finds it beneficial to have a lot of sand in the track to assure fast drainage. The result is that when there has been a lot of rain, the main track at Aqueduct can be like a wet beach– it packs down and gets harder. You may get faster times on such a track than when the surface is rated "fast".
Churchill Downs historically has had a high clay content in the track surface, with the result that the track can be very cuppy at best of times ("cuppy" means that when a horse strides on it, the hoofprint forms a "cup" on the surface of the track; it has depth, and it holds its shape rather than immediately crumbling) and can be really sticky and tiring when it gets wet.
A lot depends, too, on how the track superintendent deals with rainfall. At Santa Anita and Hollywood Park in the pre-synthetic days, the superintendents had enough time in most cases to get out the heavy roller equipment and "seal" the track before rain came. Basically when they seal the track, they're rolling and compacting the surface so that instead of water penetrating and making the track muddy down deep, the water just runs off the surface and drains away. Of course, the problem with this is that even when they opened the track surface in preparation for the day's racing, there was some compaction and the track would tend to get harder. During some of our rare wet winters, the track superintendent would sometimes have to close the track to exercise in order to do deep harrowing and conditioning of the subsurface and base after the track had been repeatedly sealed.
With synthetic surfaces, I think everyone, including the people who manufacture and install them, is still on a learning curve of what has to be done to keep the track consistant and safe in all kinds of weather.
From a handicapping standpoint, the important thing to remember is that each track is unique, and that you have to become familiar with what the weather conditions do to the the individual track surface.
You can go to the site for the Daily Racing Form at it should answer your questions also at any track the program will have instructions inside the cover explaining how to read the form and also how to make all wagers including the exotics.