Rodeo Sports and Entertainment
This year’s Grand National race is fast approaching and the short list of entries has just been announced. The race will be run, as always at the Aintree Race Course in Liverpool, England.
On Saturday the 5th of April an estimated 500 million people will tune in to watch the race from around the globe. The Grand National is one of the biggest sports betting events of the year and horse owners and trainers compete for the $1.5 million dollar prize (800,000 UK sterling).
The Grand National is the high point of the steeple chase season and the horses must navigate 30 fences and complete the four and a half mile circuit to be crowned champion, in such a difficult race it’s no wonder that half of the horses will not make it around the course.
Which leads to some very interesting betting opportunities for those brave enough to take a punt on this race? The 2007 Grand National winner Silver Birch came in at odds of 33/1, in this race the long shots really do have a chance.
Looking at Silver Birch last year it was surprising to find him priced so high with the bookmakers. Before the race he ticked every box of a potential Grand National winner, he was in the right age bracket, didn’t have too much weight to carry and possessed other qualities that made him stand out from the rest of the field.
Backing a Grand National winner is never easy, but you can rule out many of the horses in the race by following some simple tips. The horses that remain should be considered as good each way bets. Below you will find our top five tips for selected a Grand National winner.
Tip 1… The National is a grueling race and horses that carry top weight struggle to make the trip, in the last fifty years only Red Rum and Corbiere have won carrying big weight, so look for a horse carrying no more than 11st 3lbs.
Tip 2… Look for horses from Ireland, the last six National winners have all made the trip across the Irish Sea to victory!
Tip 3… Just as Irish horses perform well in the Grand National, French horses perform very badly! Only one winner in the last hundred year, so you can forget those runners instantly.
Tip 4… The age of a horse running in the Grand National is very important, young horses just don’t have the experience to cope in a field this big – So don’t go for a horse younger than 9 or older than 12.
Tip 5… Do not go anywhere near a high street bookmakers on Grand National day! Unless you love standing in line for hours. High street bookies are swamped from early morning until the start of the race. Bet online with bookmaker like ToteSport, it’s safe, secure and you also get a free bet when you join.
It’s interesting to point out that most professional gamblers wouldn’t dream of placing a bet on the Grand National, for the very reasons that most of us love too, it’s too unpredictable!
Paul Edison invites you to check out his tips for this years Grand National race at www.grand-national.me.uk
Originally posted 2010-06-20 19:50:45.
Have you ever watched the Grand National horse race and wondered why some of the runners wear blinkers, if you have stop wondering! The main reason for wearing them is to keep the horse focused on the race and limit his peripheral vision to avoid distractions. Most people can appreciate that horses without blinkers are more likely to be distracted and this is very dangerous at the fast speeds horses run during a race like the Grand National.
Blinkers go back a lot further than most people might think. They were invented by a priest who had made a bet with a pal that he could get his horse to go up the stairs of his home and although the horse did this no problem the problems started when he tried to get to come back down! The priest realised that if he covered the horses eyes he would be less afraid and would be able to be led back down – and it worked and blinkers became a useful tool for everyone working with horses.
The percentage of vision restriction for horses fitted with blinkers is between 180 degrees to as little as 30 degrees. The blinkers themselves can either be worn as part of the bridle, specifically on the cheek pieces or indeed be integrated in to a bigger framework, such as a facemask which is then put on over the horses head somewhat like a balaclava.
If blinkers are so useful then why don’t all race horses wear them? If cups instead of flaps are placed around the horses eyes it will have the opposite outcome. Instead of calming the horse down and steadying it to the track in front of it, it will only make it fearful of what it can’t see and claustrophobic, this has the effect of making the horse run faster in the early stages of a race. This method can be used by trainers on horses who aren’t reaching there maximum potential.
This serves a valuable purpose for the trainer who needs to know his horses limits and abilities, a horse who starts quickly can will lack energy to finish strongly in the final parts of a race, especially if the race is a long one like the Grand National which is over four miles.
Analysis has been carried out in the horseracing world regarding the effects of blinkers. In particular, Nick Mordin of the Racing Post has discovered that while blinkers have more impact the first time they are applied to a horse, there is in fact a residual effect, which persists as long as a horse continues to wear the blinkers.
When you see a horse fitted with blinkers it does not mean that the horse has reliability problems, the reasons can be more complicated than we first think, but blinkers do seem to make a big improvement in form for some horses. Ultimately only the horses trainer and jockey can decide if the blinkers are needed and what type should be fitted, but at least you now know the reasons why some horses do wear them and some don’t.
For more Grand National 2010 thrills, spills and drama visit our website www.grand-national2010.co.uk you can find the best odds, jockey news and tips for the big Aintree steeple chase.
Originally posted 2010-06-13 22:50:56.
Owners of competitive horses from all over the United States of America look forward to compete against each other in the championship finals of the National Horse Show. This national event is organized by the National Horse Show Association of America and takes place at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Florida.
The National Horse Show offers all kinds of competitions, so no matter where the horses are from or in whatever specialty the owner wishes to compete, there is always the possibility to put a horse up and show off its best talents against the world’s finest and very best in horsemanship competition.
Thousands of people attend and appreciate this competition each year. It is one of the goals of the organization: one the one hand to get the general public not only more interested but also better cultivated in the art of horsemanship. On the other hand of course the goal is to contribute to the advancement of excellence in the field of equestrian sports.
Olympia London International Horse Show
Next to the American based National Horse Show there is also the Olympia London International Horse Show. This one takes place in London, England (who would have guessed?) each year in December. This too is a world famous horse show where only the words finest and the elite of horses and owners can compete in such events as show jumping or dressage. The level of skill that is displayed here never ceases to amaze the visitors, while they are admiring these fine horses competing each other.
The show jumping here contains different classes with melodious sounding names like the DEI Jumping World Cup Qualifier, the Accenture Christmas Puissance and the Olympia Grand Prix. And one would never believe this in a country like England full of the so called stiff upper lips, but there is even a show jumping event where the riders need to do the show jumping course, then leave the horses and jump into a car and do a course delimited with cones. Not surprisingly this event is called the Mitsubishi Ride and Drive competition.
Dressage is another of the competition possibilities: Olympia first introduced these just in 2004, since then dressage has become a permanent part of the horse show.
A specialty horse show back home is the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona’s Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. This is the place to be for anyone wanting to known in the world of the Arabian Horse. It is an event with a lot of history: the first ever show took place in 1955 on the property of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. The organizing association (Arabian Horse Association of Arizona) was founded in the same year. A win in one of their competitions brings loads of cash to the owner; needless to say the competition is fierce.
Frank Rom runs and operates an information site about owning, training and buying horses. For more info you should also stop at All The Questions You’ve Asked About Training Your Horse, Answered.
Originally posted 2010-06-03 20:51:16.
Sayo at Pennsylvania National Horse Show 2007
Originally posted 2010-07-04 02:50:58.
