Our man at the Randox Grand National Weights Lunch reports back - and actually spoke to some people this year.
Happy Chinese New Year.
Red lanterns, dancing dragons and the unveiling of the weights for the Randox Grand National.
The doors are open at St George’s Hall, a mere Spanish stone’s throw from Liverpool Lime Street Station.
But this is the modern National. There’s no giant wooden board covered with a pair of curtains greeting guests as hundreds of owners and trainers anxiously wait to discover their fate for the great race next month.
The days of Phil Smith’s bespoke handicap are now but a distant memory. Instead, we have Martin Greenwood who goes down a different route.
“I say this every year, and I don’t want to come across as arrogant or flippant. I just approach it like any other race which is what I think is the right thing to do,” he says as we find a quiet corridor for an interview.
