David Crosse - View from the Saddle | Trainer Magazine | European Trainer Article Index

Apr 1

Apr 1 David Crosse - View from the Saddle

DAVID CROSSE VIEW FROM THE SADDLE Is the Grand National still Othe greatest steeplechase? NE of the first races my grandfather re-lived for me was so excited about the Aintree showcase and the challenge that the victory of Foinavon, a 100-1 outsider winning the race after carnage at the smallest fence on the course. It is a race that at its peak had huge entries, attracting 66 runners in 1929 and has had as little as two finishers, in 1928. This year, the Grand National has attracted 115 entries. Well up on previous years. Why? Well, most are saying it is because there is an increase in prize money to £1,000,000. Sure, that is a big part of it but as a jockey I feel that the real reason is that it is now a much safer race to run a horse in. We are all for safety, for ourselves and especially the horses, but for me the big challenge of the Grand National has been taken away. When I watched the race last year, it was like watching just another Handicap Chase. I still wouldn’t mind winning it, but for me, the Grand National was a race that if you even got around it, it was like winning it! That is how big a task it was. Last year they changed the fences and nearly half the field completed, which, of course is fantastic news but you have to ask the question: in gaining all these finishers, has the Grand National lost the I ask this question as I remember as a youngster getting the race presented. It is a race that has been around since 1839, some 154 years. A race where jockeys were, for 12-and-a-half minutes, the single bravest men on the planet. The horses that ran were as brave as lions and the television spectacle was almost a National holiday. That is what I remember. challenge that made it what it is? But when I look at the race today I still see a wonderful race. It totally captures the imagination of a whole nation and gets complete attention. It’s still a tremendous test of bravery and skill, stamina and sheer ability. I just feel that the Grand National as an entity is at an interesting point in its legacy. I am all for making races safer, and we must move with the times and use the technology available to us. But making fences smaller and tracks wider does not always make for safer racing. In fact what does happen is horses race faster and take more chances. In past years a trainer would never dream of running a bad jumper in the Grand National. That is no longer the case and the Grand National is now at risk of losing its magic. In order for the Grand National to remain the greatest test of man and beast it must keep its challenge. It must remain an achievement to just complete the course. It must remain a no-go area for bad jumpers and above all it's got to be a destination for only the best staying chasers. The truth is that a top-class racehorse will make any track in the country look easy and the opposite is also true. A bad horse will make leaving the stable in the morning look too dangerous. I for one hope the race lives for many, many generations to come and that the powers that be find a way to balance the challenge and safety. The Grand National has been the greatest race in the world since 1839 because of what makes it special – it must keep its challenge. n “In past years a trainer would never dream of running a bad jumper in the Grand National. That is no longer the case and the Grand National is now at risk of losing its magic”

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David Crosse (European Trainer - issue 45 - Spring 2014)

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