Is the Grand National losing its spirit as big-name stables dominate field?
The Willie Mullins-trained I Am Maximus surges to victory in last year's Aintree Grand National in the hands of Paul Townend. Picture: Paul Ellis/Getty Images
There is still more than enough time for a slice of bad luck to rule out a runner or two, but for practical purposes, the probable field for the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday week was largely confirmed at last weekâs forfeit stage. It was not long before the complaints began to arrive â from some British trainers, at least.
Kim Bailey and Dr Richard Newland, both past winners of the worldâs most famous steeplechase, voiced concerns that the race is now dominated by the biggest stables in Ireland, and two trainers â Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott â in particular. Sara Bradstock, meanwhile, expressed frustration that Mr Vango, the star of her small stable near Wantage, is unlikely to make the cut despite having plenty of form â and a handicap mark â that would make him a very live contender.
Their comments echo widely shared concerns among many jump-racing fans that the Grand National is either turning into, or has already become, âjust another race like all the othersâ, with the essential qualities that made it unique stripped away in the name of progress.
The fences are easier, the distance has been (slightly) reduced, and last yearâs race was the first to be run with a maximum field of 34, making it ever more difficult for smaller yards and owners to get a piece of the action with an honest, homespun staying chaser near the bottom of the weights.
The essential complaint is that while the Grand National we all grew up with is still there in body â Becherâs, the Chair, the spruce-topped fences â it is no longer there in spirit. By several measures, the critics have a point. Seven of the 32 starters in last yearâs National were trained in British yards and six of the first seven past the post were saddled by Mullins, Elliott, or Henry de Bromhead.
In terms of the increasing dominance of Irish-trained runners, though, the National is simply reflecting the overall state of play in jumps racing as a whole. Ireland had 20 of the 28 winners at Cheltenham this month, when Mullinsâ 10 winners included a 100-1 shot in the Triumph Hurdle, one of a remarkable 11 runners from the yard in the 17-strong field.
Newland and Bradstock have expressed support for a three- or four-horse limit on the number of runners a trainer can saddle in the National (Newland went even further last year and seemed to suggest a blanket ban on Irish-trained runners in Britain or, failing that, a limit of one-per-stable in major races).
âWhy canât they put a limit in place?,â Newland said in the last week. âThere are three or four really big players and itâs killing our sport. Spreading those horses around more yards benefits so many more and makes the sport healthier.â
A limit on the number of runners representing a particular owner or trainer is penalising success, which would be a very odd way for any competitive sport to go about its business. It would also effectively mean telling the sportâs biggest owners how and where to spend their money, which is hardly going to incentivise them to keep playing what will always be a numbers game. Mullinsâs 11 contenders in the Triumph were running for eight different owners.
It is also fair to ask whether the situation is as desperate as some like to claim. Eighteen of the 34 runners currently guaranteed a run in this yearâs race are trained in Britain, including the second-favourite, Iroko, from Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerrieroâs (relatively) small stable in Cheshire. Another British trainer with a guaranteed run is the Newmarket-based Michael Keady, who bought Horantzau DâAiry for ÂŁ52,250 in an online auction, and has yet to saddle a winner over jumps.
The favourite is Intense Raffles, one of about 20 horses at Tom Gibneyâs yard in County Meath. Gibney is, in other words, a classic example of a small trainer tilting at the biggest prize in jumping, in the manner of so many others down the years. He just happens to be based in Ireland, not Britain.
It is also just less than two years since Corach Rambler, whose owners included a student who bought a share in Lucinda Russellâs chaser to give him something to look forward to during lockdown, landed the spoils at Aintree.
The Grand National can still produce heart-warming stories while in terms of its overall competitiveness it is arguably stronger than ever. Behind Intense Raffles, at 7-1, there are 13 horses 33-1 or shorter, every one of which has at least one run to their name that gives them a chance.
The changes to the Grand National over the past 10 years in particular were made for a reason. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Aintree concluded that a situation in which the most-watched race of the year, by far, also carried measurably higher risks for horses and riders was not sustainable for either the National itself or the sport as a whole.
While it is undoubtedly a pity that Mr Vango is unlikely to squeeze into the field at Aintree next month, he is good enough and young enough to be a serious contender in 2026. His probable absence this time around is no cause for a rethink about the race or its conditions.
