13-02-2015, 19:08
The Grand National won't disappear for a few reasons. First as you say it draws a big crowd and tv audience, so it has good revenues for the horse racing industry as a whole. But it also generates a ton of money from those once a year pundits who walk into a bookie and place a bet on a horse that has a nice name!! I haven't seen any figures but I would hazard a guess that is is probably the most bet on event in the UK.
I am all for them making it as safe as they can for both horses and riders but there is an inherent danger in the sport to start with that you will never remove. The nature of the course and the race, including the number of horses in it, also means unlike most other horse races, the favorite rarely wins, and that in itself is why it is a spectacle that draws in the betting and audience it gets, make the course too easy or reduce the runners and you end up with a race where the favorites will win more often than not. And for me the mystique of the event will disappear as well!!
I am all for them making it as safe as they can for both horses and riders but there is an inherent danger in the sport to start with that you will never remove. The nature of the course and the race, including the number of horses in it, also means unlike most other horse races, the favorite rarely wins, and that in itself is why it is a spectacle that draws in the betting and audience it gets, make the course too easy or reduce the runners and you end up with a race where the favorites will win more often than not. And for me the mystique of the event will disappear as well!!