Grand National Gee Gees..........................

Anyone having a flutter on the Grand National today?

Strawbs

Already have at work but only a quid Im going to do a proper one of my own today so any tips Strawbs? I know your lucky with the horses

Pipxoxo

Dont wanna spoil anybodys fun but its a very cruel race you know I get well into it when I have a bet but do feel sorry for theose horses when they fall Lets hope they all get round safe and with no falls or broken legs.

Maria x

I like to have a flutter and have even gone to ladies day in the past. It is a lovely day out dressing up with your mates and betting on the horses. I love it. The jockeys are trained to ride the horses safely and yes sometimes a fall can happen but that's like any other sport. I don't think it's cruel and the horses are so well cared for. Horses are made for running it's what they love to do.

ooooooo yes i have just been with my mum and hubby to put all our bets on.my hubby has bet on a complete outsider with no hope as far as im concerened but his attitude was its only a pound lol so lets see.we gave the kids some as well,and if they win they have to pay back what we paid so they are excited bless.maria you are right it is cruel but they still do it..... a bit like childbirth we all know its cruel to the woman but we still do it good luck everyone xx

Maria wrote:Dont wanna spoil anybodys fun but its a very cruel race you know I get well into it when I have a bet but do feel sorry for theose horses when they fall Lets hope they all get round safe and with no falls or broken legs.

Maria x

Hi Maria

I couldnt agree with you more, I see the Gold Cup-winner Synchronised horse had to be destroyed, my thoughts and prayers go out to that poor animal. In the pink and fluffy world, I hope the Grand National eventually gets banned, or if not, David Cameron should be made to do 2 rounds of the track and get his balls ripped off on Beeches Brook He's a fat twat and could do with losing a couple of stone, mind you with all us tax payers funding him and his poodles expense accounts, he will only get fatter. I will put a few £'s on cam-Moron if he takes a few pounds of flab off.

Ruby

I'm not interested in the Grand National and couldn't give a rat's arse if it's a so-called national institution. It has an appalling safety record and it's about time it was scrapped in my view. Two horses destroyed again today following leg breaks, not to mention the one yesterday in another race on the same course.

On another note, the racing industry does indeed pamper race horses - but only while they are in training and represent a potentially lucrative money making opportunity. Many thousands of former race horses face a very uncertain future when they leave training. It's estimated that around 5,000 or so leave training in the UK each year. Many horses bred for racing don't even ever get to enter training. Approximately 18,000 foals are born every year yet only a third go on to become race horses. Those horses who do not make the grade are either slaughtered for meat or are sold on and are very often subject to neglect and abuse. Only a small minority of "rejects" ever find decent homes.

The racing industry is not sufficiently regulated and in my view there should be limits placed on the number of foals that can be bred each year. However, like so many things in life, the racing industry is driven by greed and morals don't come into it, so this will never happen.

I'd doubt that many in the racing industry, apart from maybe the stable lads and lasses who cared for the horses on a daily basis, will be worried for long about the deaths of these horses today. From time to time you do hear heart-warming stories of some genuine, caring owners who have lovingly nursed their horses back to health after leg breaks and other serious illnesses but most in the industry will wring their hands for five minutes or so and then move on. For the vast majority of them, the horses just represent four legged pound notes.

And as for the punters, they'll still be at the bookies again tomorrow, feeding the industry.

On a lighter note did any of you see some of the utter sights that turned out for the races at Aintree?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2128679/Aintree-races-open-Liverpools-finest-attending-droves.html

The creme de la creme of North West "society"

The pair in the very last photo are my personal favourites

What a farce i say with all the false starts and the lack of control of it.poor synchronised,one minute in the limelight the next for a sad reason too.sadly this will happen and i think its a shame they have to have so many jumps,but it will probably never be stopped.On the plus side we did have wins between us which means extra for the hols.Its been something we have always done in our family and untill it stops we will carry on doing it.Personally i couldnt care less about what the ladies wear to those events and if they wanna dress up and look like they do then thats their choice,i just know i wouldnt

I think it speaks volumes about the racing industry that for a horse (Synchronised) who was so fêted and lauded before yesterday's Grand National, nothing has been said about him since he was destroyed following his fall during the race. The media are still saying what a wonderful race it was and maybe one of the best for years! Could you imagine them saying the same about a match/game/race in any other sport in which a competitor had died? Never in a million years.

They call horse racing a sport but if a sportsman or woman was killed in another sport they'd be on about him/her and their achievements for days afterwards, hand wringing and so on - and quite rightly so too.

Horse racing is not a sport. It's all about the gambling. Take the gambling away and 80% of those who follow it so avidly would not be remotely interested it it. It's not about the horses at all. They are simply a means to an end.

The sad demise of Synchronised tells you all you need to know.

I agree with your sentiments and absolutely think this dreadful race should be be banned or at minimum made safer for the horses. They are all squashed together running like thunder and they must be terror stricken, it's no wonder Synchranise tried to escape at the start he would have a sixth sense it was dangerous, they are known to rely heavily on their sixth sense and can see things we as humans can't see. Horses die nearly every year in the GN and people need to be educated about how cruel this so called sport really is, as already mentioned on here the race is all about money

Well I have to admit that I too have fallen out of love with the race - so many horses fell - and the two that died was terribly upsetting. It seemed a horrible race this year (and both our horses fell - mine died...... ) so I think after this I'll not be betting on it again.

I used to really enjoy the race (especially when I won - which was quite often!) but I've got a change of heart now, and I see how cruel it is for the horses.

Oh well, I'll go back to snail racing next time! I used to have a lot of fun with that when I was a child

Strawbs

It would be sad to see it go, it is a national instition, may be they should have less horses running and lower the jumps, theres too many horses running all at the same time. I do get excited wtaching it tho!

Sal x

I agree with you sal and it does seem like there is a call for it to be reviewed after two losses lets hope they can sort it out ready for next year,because after the amount of revenue it pulled in i doubt very much they would cancel it.

snail races just wouldnt be the same imo............