grand national
Sports

Britain’s Grand National Race Returns – With Several Twists

@SpectacularMag

In the UK, they call it “the race that stops a nation”. The Grand National (April 10th) is as central to British culture as tea and crumpets. The race is a grueling test of skill and stamina, run over three miles and 30 fences at the iconic Aintree Racecourse. The event is unique, not just in its layout, but due to the fact everyone “stops” to watch it. Even those who don’t usually follow racing – or sports generally – tune in for the big one, with the majority having a bet or partaking in a sweepstake.

Like many other spring sporting events, the Grand National was canceled last year. Fans will, of course, be eager to see the event returning to their television screens. But two years is a long time in sports, and there will be a very different feel to the 2021 event. Below we look at some of the narratives making the headlines before one of the world’s most iconic races returns:

Tiger Roll’s Absence

Imagine that Bob Baffert decided not to run American Pharoah or Justify in the third leg of their Triple Crown bids in 2015 and 2018? That’s similar to what has happened with Tiger Roll. The two-time Grand National winner will not be going for the historic hat-trick thanks to what its owner calls unfair handicapping. The owner, Michael O’Leary, has been critical of the system that gives weights to the leading horses, and he carried out his threat to pull Tiger Roll from the 2021 race. The Grand National is bigger than any individual horse, but some star power is now lacking.

The Rachael Blackmore Effect

grand nationalTalking of star power, there is no bigger story in racing than Rachael Blackmore. The debate about gender equality in sports has been going on for several years now, but jockey Blackmore has made a mockery of any outmoded claims that women aren’t as good as the men in the saddle. Blackmore’s likely ride, Minella Times, is almost certain to feature in the horse racing tips for Aintree, given how she has claims to be considered the best jumps jockey on the planet right now. If she adds a Grand National win to her already incredible resume, it will make her a superstar. More importantly, however, Blackmore’s ascension to the summit of racing is helping make a case for gender equality in other sports.

Big Data

We mentioned that the race was canceled last year, but there was a virtual running of the Grand National. Data experts built an algorithm for the race, crunching all the numbers and then broadcasting a digital version of the race. It was hugely impressive and got a lot of attention in the media. Many of the runners in the virtual event, including the winner, Potters Corner, will be in the ‘real’ event this year, and it will be interesting to see how the true outcome matches up to what the data scientists predicted. We know that big data and sports are becoming more and more intertwined, so this is something of a test for the reliability of the algorithms.

British Racing at a Crossroads

There is a healthy competition between British and Irish racing that has lasted for generations. However, the men and women – and horses – from the Emerald Isle have had the upper hand of late. At the Cheltenham Festival, which is arguably Britain’s most important festival, the Irish won 23 of the 28 races. It was a stunning, record-breaking achievement on the home turf of the British, but it also posed questions about the health of UK racing. Can the Brits bounce back at Aintree? Or will it be more successful for the “Irish Raiders”?  If it is the latter, expect a lot of introspection over how to get British jumps racing back in the saddle at the elite events.

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