The Grand National is scheduled to be run at Aintree this Sunday.
Snow Leopardess is a 10yo mare belonging to Marietta Fox-Pitt, the mother of eventer William Fox-Pitt. She’s already been a mother, having been bred to Derby winner Sir Percy after an injury.
Thanks for that link!
Fuller story;
Sam Whaley-Cohen, an exceptional amateur jockey - he owns a dental company in real life, announced on the TV that as he is now 40 years old he will be retiring from the saddle after the Grand National. So, last race of his career, in the Grand National and, total fairy tale, he won. That is the magic of racing.
@Willesdon - thank you for the link to the replay!
Snow Leopardess pulled up after the first circuit, her jockey Aidan Coleman saying that she’s fine but the ground was too fast for her.
I loved the great stayer Yeats as a racehorse and it’s nice to see him making his mark as a National Hunt sire.
Edit: I was wrong about no breakdowns. Eclair Surf (fell at 3rd, suspected concussion/skull fracture) and Discorama (pulled up with pelvic injury) were euthanised.
can someone explain how the ground is / can be too fast? I understand slow / boggy/ sloppy footing
Jumpers tend to jump slower out of slow or heavy ground and so it’s considered safer. “Boggy” is unlikely on a British racecourse as the ground is tended so carefully, including drains to ensure the ground doesn’t ever become boggy and watering to ensure it doesn’t become too dry and thus too “fast”. The ground team is striving daily to achieve consistent going and the turf is tended with intense care. These days the turf is covered with fleece if there is risk of frost so far less racing is now lost due to frost and snow. Sloppy is, I think, a unique feature of dirt tracks. “Fast” is unusual in jump racing because rain is to be expected in a winter sport.
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