The Grand National dates back to 1839 which was won by a horse named Lottery. This race is a long standing tradition that comes along every year. Each horse is the best of their breed. They have been well trained for years to be in the Grand National. The Horse must be at least 6 years old to run the race.
Horses start being trained as young colts to be a possible Grand National competitor. The horse will have been in other competitions and done well. The horse has to be able to run the difficult course at the Grand National. There is much training and a buildup of trust between trainer, jockey and horse. This race has 16 jumps on a 4.5 mile track, and there are 32 jumps all together that they must be able to make.
The race is done in a two set series so all but two of the jumps must be made twice. There are drop fences in which the horse will land on lower ground than they started on, and also fences where they will land higher on the ground then where they jumped from. The horse has no way to know this about these jumps until they are air borne. This is to test the abilities of the horses.
There is an area in the course about half way through that has a difficult jump with an immediate 90 degree turn in it. This tests the ability of the jockey and the horse to communicate and keep up pace with the course. Then comes the long race to the finish of this 4.5 mile track which is when you can see the wear on the horse.
This is a very extreme track for the horses and their jockeys. Both must be in the best of shape for this event. At 4.5 miles this is an endurance contest as well. The rigorous jumps and race track curves take a toll on both horse and jockey. This is what they have both trained for, and it is exciting to watch, about 6 million viewers watch the race each year.
There are some good old stories and tales about the Grand National that include when the 1st race actually was, some say it was in 1837, while others disagree, and during the war they had to close the course and the race was held at Gatwick Racecourse, on the site of the current Gatwick Airport.
As you can imagine, along with the stories are the records that have been set at the Grand National, such as, the youngest winning jockey at age 17, the oldest winning horse at age 15, and fastest winning time at 8m 47.8s, Mr. Frisk in 1990. There are many great stats and stories about this race and track. The most winning horse was Red Rum who won 3 races in 1973, 1974, and 1977.
Of course what would a horse race be without the big purse for the horse owners and the jockey, and the bets placed by the spectators at the track or online. There are many who have a science to betting on their horse, and others who have no special formula, they just pick who they feel is lucky. - 16928
Horses start being trained as young colts to be a possible Grand National competitor. The horse will have been in other competitions and done well. The horse has to be able to run the difficult course at the Grand National. There is much training and a buildup of trust between trainer, jockey and horse. This race has 16 jumps on a 4.5 mile track, and there are 32 jumps all together that they must be able to make.
The race is done in a two set series so all but two of the jumps must be made twice. There are drop fences in which the horse will land on lower ground than they started on, and also fences where they will land higher on the ground then where they jumped from. The horse has no way to know this about these jumps until they are air borne. This is to test the abilities of the horses.
There is an area in the course about half way through that has a difficult jump with an immediate 90 degree turn in it. This tests the ability of the jockey and the horse to communicate and keep up pace with the course. Then comes the long race to the finish of this 4.5 mile track which is when you can see the wear on the horse.
This is a very extreme track for the horses and their jockeys. Both must be in the best of shape for this event. At 4.5 miles this is an endurance contest as well. The rigorous jumps and race track curves take a toll on both horse and jockey. This is what they have both trained for, and it is exciting to watch, about 6 million viewers watch the race each year.
There are some good old stories and tales about the Grand National that include when the 1st race actually was, some say it was in 1837, while others disagree, and during the war they had to close the course and the race was held at Gatwick Racecourse, on the site of the current Gatwick Airport.
As you can imagine, along with the stories are the records that have been set at the Grand National, such as, the youngest winning jockey at age 17, the oldest winning horse at age 15, and fastest winning time at 8m 47.8s, Mr. Frisk in 1990. There are many great stats and stories about this race and track. The most winning horse was Red Rum who won 3 races in 1973, 1974, and 1977.
Of course what would a horse race be without the big purse for the horse owners and the jockey, and the bets placed by the spectators at the track or online. There are many who have a science to betting on their horse, and others who have no special formula, they just pick who they feel is lucky. - 16928
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