Grand National the big daddy of horse races

It would be a reasonable generalisation to say that three horse races have won a special niche in their respective nations – Australia’s Melbourne Cup, the Durban July and the Grand National.

Australia stops for the 3 200m race for three-year-olds at Flemington each November, while we have the July each year at Durban’s Greyville, which is a kilometre shorter.

But the big daddy of them all – and like the July, a race even those who have little knowledge of horses, hazard a once-a-year bet – is the Grand National.

Run at Liverpool’s Aintree, it is the crown of the national hunt season with 30 jumps – including monsters like Becher’s Brook, The Chair and the Canal Turn – and over an arduous 6.907km, which annually takes criticism from animal anticruelty advocates as being unfair on the horses.

Such was the case in 1956 when the late Queen Mother’s horse, a fatigued Devon Loch, ridden by future author Dick Francis, was well ahead in the final straight, fell flat on its belly … and lost.

But the National has been run since 1839 and will be again this weekend, when Definitely Red will probably start favourite. But as the saying goes, anyone can win.

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