yesterday.

​Although I.T.V. cannot really be faulted for their coverage of yesterday’s Aintree National, I did find it wearisome and annoying when they constantly interrupted coverage of the horses in the parade ring and on the way to the start to show glammed-up race-goers, trumpeters (why) bookmakers and pointless interviews with connections. I want to get an understanding of how the horses are taking proceedings, whether a horse is sweating or jig-jogging, the sheen of its coat.
I also dislike the fourth, third, second, procedure that comes before presentation of the trophies to the winning connections. They will be handing out bronze, silver and gold medals soon, just to give the ceremony an air of Olympiana.
If you believe in the warm weather crisis, you will no doubt believe that every Aintree National till the cold weather crisis is announced will be run under clear skies and a sweltering sun. It was warm yesterday, though I doubt the temperature rose above 20-degrees, which is far from hot. I do feel though that the needs of the media are being put before the much- proclaimed welfare of the horses. The ground was safe yesterday, though whether it was good or good-to-soft only the jockeys can say, and no amount of water sprayed on to the track the evening and night before will prevent good-to-soft drying out to good by mid-afternoon, especially if there is the sort of hooley blowing as there was yesterday.
Traditionally, as least when the B.B.C. televised the race, off-time 3 pm and I believe we need to go back to an earlier start time as a precaution against artificially watered ground drying out to the point where there is no soft in the description as the race being run.
The race itself. Unlike last year, the race rode more like a National of old, with the runners spread-out and with a few thrills and spills on the way round. I was concerned after the race for the well-being of Broadway Boy who took a bad fall at Valentines after jumping for fun until that point. Tom Bellamy ended-up in hospital and I feared worse for the horse, believing he had suffered a broken back, which proved not to be the case. He walked into the horse ambulance and I will have my fingers crossed for him until I receive better news than he is being accessed.
I also feared for Kandoo Kid as I thought he was lame when he rose to his feet after falling at the fence before Bechers. It might be he was caught-up in the reins and he did look sound when Harry Cobden led him off the track.
The 13-year-old Celebre D’Allen, off the course since November, ran a stormer, in the front rank between the third and second-last until running out of steam and eventually being pulled-up after the last. He, too, was being assessed by vets on the course, causing the following race to be delayed. He also walked into the horse ambulance. Again, crossed-fingers for his speedy recovery.
The race itself: I was left empty rather than exhilarated at race end. Patrick Mullins winning for his father was a brilliant result and I cannot wait for how Patrick describes his day when he puts pen to paper for the Racing Post tomorrow. The wind, though, was sucked out of my sails by the Closutton domination. Magnificent achievement, obviously, to train the first three home, an achievement never achieved in the 176-year history of the race. But to run six-horses and have five of them finish in the top seven is a clear example of how the democracy of the race is now replaced by the elitism of the super stable.
As with most of the experts, I got most things wrong in my pre-race thoughts on the race. I did get Intense Raffles right as he disliked both the ground and the fences, and after watching his school over a ‘national fence’ on the Curragh, where he jumped high rather than slickly, I was not surprised.
I also suggested that Paul Townend might choose Nick Rockett over I Am Maximus, Nick Rockett being, in my poor summation, the best of the Mullins horses, when in fact he was one of five who were best of the entire field, with one exception, Iroko.
Hyland never got into the race. Hewick gave it a good go and I just had the suspicion that over this extreme trip he might have preferred slightly more cut in the ground if only to have slowed-up the Closutton contingent. Bravemansgame loved the place, only to run out of stamina entering the straight.
Iroko (also Three Card Brag) is obviously the horse to take out of the race when it comes to thinking about next year’s renewal, though the line of travel suggests that tipping any British-trained horse is a waste of energy, as would be any horse not trained by Willie Mullins.
It is said that life is cyclical and what goes around eventually comes around. Personally, I cannot see the Willie Mullins domination of the sport ending any year soon.
Oh, one thought of mine that has proved disappointingly accurate was my warning that Dan Skelton was not necessarily home and hosed for the trainers’ championship. After the National, having won the bulk of the prize-money, Mullins is only a little over £100,000 in arrears and unless Skelton gets himself on the money-train over the next few weeks all the Closutton maestro has to do is win either the Scottish National next weekend or the old Whitbread and the fat lady will be singing arias outside Willie’s bedroom window in a few-weeks time.