08:47 AM
11/21/24
11/21/24
April 14, 2012
Two Horses Put Down at 2012 Grand National: For the second consecutive year two horses have died at England's prestigious Grand National. Synchronised and According to Pete were destroyed after breaking legs. The RSPCA described the deaths as "totally unacceptable" and called for "an urgent examination" of the race.
I think they should put the jockey down too.
I find horse racing fascinating. Not to watch, but for the fact it exists purely for gambling purposes.
Love horse racing games. Hate the real world version.
posted by Drood at 08:56 PM on April 15, 2012
I was shocked to find out that Synchronised, having just won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, had been entered for the Grand National, which is notorious not just for the gruelling fences and longer distance, but also for the lower quality of the huge field, which creates its own problems. The last double was in 1934, and that's telling: most great Gold Cup winners (Dawn Run, Arkle, Desert Orchid) have been kept well away from Aintree.
I grew up watching the Grand National, but I can't stomach it now. If there are casualties at Cheltenham, it's a horrible accident; at Aintree these days, it feels baked into the race.