Grand National Horse Racing - a Sport for Everyone
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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