Our man at the track sets the scene for Saturday's Randox Grand National. Will the big guns dominate again?
Ladies’ Day at a sun-drenched Aintree. A packed crowd, party atmosphere, whatever black clouds may circle over the sport of horse racing right now, they’re not going to be spotted around here today.
Saturday is another day though, the biggest in the racing calendar. But of all the questions that surround the Randox Grand National, the one which seems to dominate most minds among racing professionals is 'has the romance of the race died?'
When I recall the fivers I parted with during my lockdown breakdown, the best by some way was the one that snared a DVD copy of the film Champions. Aldaniti's win in 1981 is carved into Aintree folklore still as it was the national psyche at the time.
But gradually, and inevitably, the race has evolved. Changes to the course and set-up have placed less of an emphasis on jumping.
