Are you gonna post as many stories on horse racing as Rooney ones Mark? You really are reactionary. These things happen all the time, and you wouldn't be posting them unless The Daily Mail hadn't picked it as their flavour of the week. Had the Grand National not happened you would not have linked to the newer story.

 

Poppycock. Rooney was last weekend's big sports story (it was discussed on TV all week), and the Grand National is this weekend's. Who knows? Next weekend it could be Ashley Cole (again).

Let's wait and see!:rolleyes:

But why don't you post links to stories that interest you and that isn't already being discussed to death? Something actually worth discussing, unless you intend to start a intellectual debate on horse racing. Simply linking to whatever the Daily Mail is talking about is hardly a contribution, especially since 99% of the time you're only linking since you thought of a good pun.

If you want to discuss horse racing in general, I suggest you create a thread on the topic.

The Grand National makes headlines because it is generally considered to be the biggest horse race in the world (for obvious reasons).

It's the same with Wimbledon when it comes to tennis, even though there are countless tournaments taking place all year round.

Similarly, Rooney will always make headlines because of who he is and the team he plays for. That's just the way the cookie crumbles.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're a shit poster Mark.

I mean that in the nicest possible way.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're a shit poster Mark.

I mean that in the nicest possible way.

 

The feeling is mutual.

I'm not talking about not discussing the Grand National, I'm talking about simply talking about exactly what is already being talked to death about. The Grand National thread is perfectly understandable. I'd have been surprised if their wasn't one. But I'd also be surprised if you were that bothered about the horses that died, and instead simply following a story on a whim.

 

I'm wondering if you are going to enter into a discussion, led by you, regarding jockey and horse safety, or if your last link was just adding to the rest of the reactionary stance the Daily Mail likes to read.

 

We might as well just have everyone read the Daily Mail's headlines and 'Also in the news this week' and get rid of you.

Let's remember the Daily Mail will pick up on anything the BBC do. They do have a strange agenda against the corporation. Although admittedly the Daily Telegraph and other newspapers did pick up on the story as well but without the needless pictures.

As I said, I think you'll find those horses' deaths were reported throughout the media, and justifiably so. It has nothing to do with any particular news source.

I would suggest that horse and jockey safety is too obscure a topic to discuss on the board, but if you want to create a thread to discuss it, please go ahead.

As I said, I think you'll find those horses' deaths were reported throughout the media, and justifiably so. It has nothing to do with any particular news source.

I would suggest that horse and jockey safety is too obscure a topic to discuss on the board, but if you want to create a thread to discuss it, please go ahead.

 

Why post a story highlighting it if you think it's too obscure to be discussed then? You've proved my point.

 

Other media's did not rely on a pre-existing agenda, nor did they use distasteful pictures in a story where they were supposedly taking the moral high ground on taste?

 

 

Do you understand this?

Let's remember the Daily Mail will pick up on anything the BBC do. They do have a strange agenda against the corporation. Although admittedly the Daily Telegraph did pick up on the story as well but without the needless pictures.

 

I'll be very surprised if those photos weren't used anywhere else.

There are rivalries between certain news sources, of course. It's always been that way.

The Sun and The Mirror is one example.;)

 

It's a pity the Grand National was overshadowed by those deaths, but that was inevitable.

It's exactly the same if there's a horrific accident in F1 or any other sport, for that matter.

Grand National: Ginger McCain queries smaller fences

 

 

Grand National 2011: Fence-by-fence analysis

 

Ginger McCain, the four-time Grand National-winning trainer, says the Aintree course should not be made easier despite its latest horse deaths.

Outsiders Dooneys Gate and Ornais suffered fatal falls in Saturday's race, won by 14-1 shot Ballabriggs, who is trained by McCain's son Donald.

"You don't make things better by making it easier," McCain senior said.

"It's speed that does the damage, the faster they go, the heavier they fall and the more likely they are to fall."

McCain, 80, forever associated with three-time Grand National winner Red Rum, added: "You can improve it, and I don't suggest for one minute that we should stop trying to improve it.

"But don't improve it by making it easier or you will finish up with a bog standard four-and-a-half-mile steeplechase that basically any horse can jump."

The course had been watered significantly during an unsually hot, dry week on Merseyside, but it remained faster than ideal.

Though not among the leading fancies, the horses who died had previously won over fences, and significantly each was based at a leading yard.

Dooneys Gate had been sent over by Ireland's Willie Mullins, the top trainer at the Cheltenham Festival in March, while Ornais was prepared by multiple champion trainer Paul Nicholls.

Nicholls, who has never won the Grand National, has also seen two other highly-rated horses, Twist Magic and Pride of Dulcote, suffer fatal injuries this season.

 

The Somerset-based trainer said: "It's awfully sad to lose any horse, whether it's in the Grand National or at any time at all.

"We'll pick ourselves up and move on - you have to. It was a great week and I have to say Aintree did a brilliant job with the track. I've never seen the course in such fantastic condition but unfortunately, although this is a great sport, accidents can happen.

"Like one paper said this morning, it doesn't matter how safe you make the M1, the M4, the M5 or whatever, you're always going to have accidents. It's unfortunate when you have fatalities, but it was a great race.

Mullins said: "What happened to Dooneys Gate was obviously really disappointing. He was jumping fantastic. He was probably jumping too well and you don't want to be like that going down towards Becher's."

Dooneys Gate was one of three horses to fall at the famous Becher's Brook fence, while West End Rocker was brought down in the melee. On the second circuit both Becher's and fence four (where Ornais suffered his fatal fall) were bypassed by the remaining runners.

Winner Ballabriggs was reported to be "totally dehydrated" after the race. His lad Ed Bourne said on Sunday: "I had to put a lot of water on him. But he came out of it grand, he's had a pick of grass and he's OK.

"He's a very special horse and I've always been fond of him. He's kind and gentle and so laid-back. He just takes it all in his stride."

Ballabriggs seems certain to return for another crack at the marathon handicap in 2012, when he will be 11 years old, and Donald McCain said next season was likely to be "geared around Aintree" for the gelding.

He added: "He's obviously taken to the place exceptionally well."

Would you like to add anything to the latest link Mark?

I doubt they'll change any of the fences because the grand national is an institution. the fences make it what it is, and different to any other race, changing them would detract from the event. If they did that there would probably be more uproar than there is about the deaths of the horses, which doesn't provide much respect to the animals, but that I guess is just the way it is.

I doubt they'll change any of the fences because the grand national is an institution. the fences make it what it is, and different to any other race, changing them would detract from the event. If they did that there would probably be more uproar than there is about the deaths of the horses, which doesn't give much respect to the animals, but that I guess is just the way it is.

 

I suppose so.:(

I know horses have died in the race before, but I don't remember seeing bodies covered in tarpaulins in previous years.