This year’s Grand National has fallen flat and the alarming drop in TV viewing figures shows the sport has a problem Achi-News

Each and every one of us was relieved when all 32 Grand National runners returned home safe and sound last Saturday.

But the industry-wide backslapping after the big race of the year left me a little nauseous and was extremely premature, for a number of reasons.

1

Although others would have you think otherwise, the changes to the Aintree big’un have not solved the so-called national ‘problem’ – we will always depend on a huge share of luck when it comes to fellers escaping injury.

Just think how different the atmosphere would have been last Sunday morning if defending champion Korach Rambler had seriously damaged himself when he fell while loose at the second fence.

Granted, last year’s race felt like a low point, what with the Animal Rising extremists delaying the race, the death of Hill Sixteen at the first fence and the next flak the sport received from every direction.

If racing bosses ever responded to outside pressure, it was after the 2023 renewal.

But in doing this latest plastic surgery, it feels like the race has lost the last piece of its soul.

Of course, there were much more drastic changes to the race 11 years ago, when they tore out the old wooden fences and replaced them with more forgiving plastic.

But for a decade I thought we had struck the perfect balance. It still looked and felt like the National and we had some decidedly vintage results – think Pineau De Re, One For Arthur and Many Clouds.

From 2013 to 2018, we didn’t have a single death of a horse in the race, before a small flurry of deaths from 2019 onwards.

It was always kind of limping your lower cheeks. Dangerous, exciting, unpredictable, and the ultimate test of horse and jockey. It is no longer any of those things.

There are a handful of races each year that I get butterflies in the build-up to, and the ‘Nash’ has always been one. Sad to say, I didn’t have one flutter in my old stomach this year, and the race itself was completely drama-free.

And with the new reduced field size, it will now become the property of the strongest yards. The days of the national legend are a thing of the past.

Dear Kitty’s Light crept in at the bottom of the weights, but a horse of his ability would not stand a chance against the Grade 1 caliber animals coming from Ireland unless they moved a fifth leg.

Perhaps the most worrying news in the national sweep was the dramatic drop in ITV viewing figures.

They peaked at 6.1 million, down from 7.5 million last year and over 10 million a decade or so ago.

Is it related to the coverage itself, which sometimes has a forced-fun, rosy feel to it? might be.

This could be due to poor promotion of the big day, or simply the fact that people are not watching TV as much as they used to.

But I don’t buy the excuse we were fed about the 4pm break or the fact that it was a sunny day negatively affecting the numbers. It’s just cobblers.

Maybe people just don’t like the breed as much as they used to. After last week, even fewer will.

Free Bets – Get the best registration deals and racing offers

Commercial Content Notice: Taking up one of the bookmaker offers in this article may result in payment to The Sun. 18+. Terms and conditions apply. Begambleaware.org

---

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Sets time and money limits before the game
• Only money bets they can afford to lose
• Never chasing their losses
• Not betting if they are mad, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org