i'll never forget this day. i backed the winner in the best grand national yet three days later i went to paris, paid for by red marauder. haven't had a national winner since........ or a decent holiday. there's always next year i suppose.
i agree with you to a certain extent. in my opinion the conditions helped create the pile up. if the pile up didnt happen at the canal turn, its probably safe to assume something would have halted their progress later on. realistically who knows but it's still a fantastic race to watch. diid the best horse win? i doubt it, but what a race
notice that Beau's reins got caught over his face at 4.48, and Carl Llewellyn is tries to help him. he can't get the rein back on the right side of Beau's neck, hense having to move in towards the rail. he jumps fence 19, the open ditch, with the rein over the horses face! at 3.33 you can see then that Carl has had to put both reins on the right hand side of the horse and his left hand is on the whither strap. He fell at the next because all Carls weight was on one side of his bridal-shame.
the first National I remember, I was 9 and my dad took me to the bookies, put my money on Mely Moss. If it wasn't for the massive pile up which he got stuck in I'm still certain he could have done it! Can't believe this race is ten years ago now.
Red Marauder will always be remembered by me - makes me nervous and bite my nails watching this race still. He was such a brave slogger and won me a fortune :)
well Paddy's Return was the horse that caused the HUGE pile up first time around at Canal Turn. And he nearly did it again the second time around nearly bringing both Smarty and Red Maurarder.
we will never see another national like this the pc brigade wont let it happen, its actually safer in mud than hitting the deck on firm ground for obvious reasons ....
@littlebay75 The PC idiots don't realise that in life, deaths and injuries happen. 6 billion people will die. It is a fact. This is 1 horse race. This year 2 horses died. Someone tell them to fuck off.
This is a proper British horse race with proper brave runners and riders. 25 show ponies skipping round is all very well, but this is the one great National I'll remember.
How people can criticise John Hanmer commentating on a race he can't even see is beyond me? He did a brilliant job too in those circumstances. The bit of him commentating as Carl Llewellyn chases Beau in vain is priceless, as is Carl's reaction when Beau jumps it.
Channel 4 would love to cover this, and considering the BBC's antipathy toward horse racing now, I think they should be given the chance. Channel 4 have three commentators who can cover the race whilst Francome and McGrath would be brilliant paddock commentators.
When horses gallop through conditions like this, their hooves can end up 6 inches deep in the ground, which itself is very loose and unable to take weight; so a horse may be required to jump over 5 feet, from squelching mud. I have ridden a horse in such conditions and you have to be very careful, holding your horse together. What Timmy Murphy and Richard Guest achieved this day was truly amazing.
There was a big rumour sweeping the course an hour before that the race was gonna be called off, the ground was bottomless. Me and my mates stayed outside in the pouring rain all day, we couldn't get any wetter. I had £25 E/W on Edmond. He was going great until he hit the 13th, climbed the next, then looked like he'd been shot at the Chair.
One of my mates backed Beau, another done Smarty - to win!!!
If it ever rains like that again we could get a similar outcome with hardly any finishers.
@sepul071200 are u serious look hw tired smarty was 2 out he was out on his feet if he went any harder on the horse he wud of died of a heart attack.goes 2 sure hw much u knw bout horse racing
@sepul071200 luk back at the race again and tel me that smarty had a chance u dope. he luks on the bridle but clearly timmy wanted 2 just pop him around and cum 2nd cause when red when on timmy didnt try get after him cause the horse had nothin left 2 give. muppet
@comeonshaymen thats 1 ride..... what about the fact he has a shite season every season and his % of winners is awful. he is an average jockey at best.
some of the rides over the last 2 seasons he has blown is just awful.
but hey if you like him thats fine.....im just saying what i think.
Hanmer was actually commentating when Frankie rode his seventh winner at Ascot in 1996. Peter O'Sullevan did not commentate on every single race and Hanmer would fill in, in case the BBC needed commentary. Hanmer left a few years later when the BBC's racing coverage went to practically zero.
dont know why alot of you are criticising john hanmer, i thought his commentary for the best part of 30 years was terrific and first class..and unless you can do any better its better to not use technology to bitch about decent people :O
@adzybear1989 Absoultely and on this occasion, the second commentary postition wasn't working, so he had to commentate without being able to see things properly.
totally agree. john hamner's part of my chlldhood watching the national. love this one cos i backed red marauder (each way). spent the last circuit praying he wouldnt fall. i will never forget this national as long as i live
John Hanmer was a very good commentator. In this race it was the technology that failed him. He was not supposed to be commentating on the section from the 4th to the 9th. He actually did a very good job considering he had no proper view of what was happening. The Canal Turn pile up would have been well out of his view.
During the 30 years in which he commentated on the National he made remarkably few errors; fewer than Sir Peter and Julian Wilson in my opinion.
total miracle there were no fatalities, i know the heavy rain made for soft ground but these are completely unfamiliar conditions for the horses, probably would have been called off nowadays
@martinh103 I agree, looks like it was between BW and PAP, but if you look how McMcoy was pulling BW back hes just cantering round. Loose nag cost me a monkey, had £25 e/w @ 16/1.
On this yrs national, quite fancy Silver by Nature ... will win !!!
I liked John Hamner even when it was July and it was Haydock. His voice would remind me of Aintree. Recently, the BBC's dan walker was up in the commentary box with Ian Bartlett. Walker asked Bartlett..."who is your little friend"....referring to Hamner. What an idoitic comment showing total ill preparation when Hamner had called 30 nationals including all Red Rums. "Crisp at the big ditch. He stood right off and jumped it well. He's right out in front"
I think this was his last commentary (after almost 30 years) after a reshuffle following the no power and poor calling. To give John Hamner credit he had to cover a section away from him because Tony O Hehir had no power.
@grincher2006 2003 was johns last commentary grincher, was booted of the course roster in 2000 pre age discrimination laws. But your right johns last commentary was his 30th and his commentating stand was above the first fence, so he was right in saying i can see the back markers better than the leaders.
i'll never forget this day. i backed the winner in the best grand national yet three days later i went to paris, paid for by red marauder. haven't had a national winner since........ or a decent holiday. there's always next year i suppose.
ddiggins79 5 days ago
I was on Beau that year, I was convinced he would have won too!
MrJoey1498 1 week ago
Look at the open ditch 2nd time round. Timmy murphy did well to get over fence.
joe76072 2 weeks ago
I had never seen so many fallers in the grand national until 2001.
MyAndrew987 3 weeks ago
Surely the reason there were few finishers was the pile up at the Canal Turn, not the going.
dignifiedwhite 1 month ago
i agree with you to a certain extent. in my opinion the conditions helped create the pile up. if the pile up didnt happen at the canal turn, its probably safe to assume something would have halted their progress later on. realistically who knows but it's still a fantastic race to watch. diid the best horse win? i doubt it, but what a race
ddiggins79 5 days ago
epic race and performance by the winner.
racingeye 4 months ago
notice that Beau's reins got caught over his face at 4.48, and Carl Llewellyn is tries to help him. he can't get the rein back on the right side of Beau's neck, hense having to move in towards the rail. he jumps fence 19, the open ditch, with the rein over the horses face! at 3.33 you can see then that Carl has had to put both reins on the right hand side of the horse and his left hand is on the whither strap. He fell at the next because all Carls weight was on one side of his bridal-shame.
vixitrixalina 4 months ago
my greatest horse racing day- backed the only two finishers £10 ew on the winner and £5ew on the runner up
dlamiss 8 months ago
I didnt realise that Lance Armstong was still going til the 18th, albeit furlongs behind. I thought he fell in the pile up at the Canal
comeonshaymen 9 months ago
Carl Lewellyn was on the best horse in the race and he absolutely blew it. He couldnt ride me!
Paxrep 10 months ago
the first National I remember, I was 9 and my dad took me to the bookies, put my money on Mely Moss. If it wasn't for the massive pile up which he got stuck in I'm still certain he could have done it! Can't believe this race is ten years ago now.
musicalsimsy 10 months ago
Red Marauder will always be remembered by me - makes me nervous and bite my nails watching this race still. He was such a brave slogger and won me a fortune :)
HoldingisGod 10 months ago
I won 412 quid on this race. Knew I was after a mud lover and there wouldnt be many finishers but boy... this was exciting!
pimmagrimm 10 months ago
wow what an amazing race! :O
TheMagoo12 10 months ago
well Paddy's Return was the horse that caused the HUGE pile up first time around at Canal Turn. And he nearly did it again the second time around nearly bringing both Smarty and Red Maurarder.
jamesclarke1994 10 months ago 2
we will never see another national like this the pc brigade wont let it happen, its actually safer in mud than hitting the deck on firm ground for obvious reasons ....
littlebay75 10 months ago
@littlebay75 The PC idiots don't realise that in life, deaths and injuries happen. 6 billion people will die. It is a fact. This is 1 horse race. This year 2 horses died. Someone tell them to fuck off.
DLPBurke 10 months ago
This is a proper British horse race with proper brave runners and riders. 25 show ponies skipping round is all very well, but this is the one great National I'll remember.
How people can criticise John Hanmer commentating on a race he can't even see is beyond me? He did a brilliant job too in those circumstances. The bit of him commentating as Carl Llewellyn chases Beau in vain is priceless, as is Carl's reaction when Beau jumps it.
kristiaaaan 11 months ago 9
Channel 4 would love to cover this, and considering the BBC's antipathy toward horse racing now, I think they should be given the chance. Channel 4 have three commentators who can cover the race whilst Francome and McGrath would be brilliant paddock commentators.
malcs0 11 months ago
When horses gallop through conditions like this, their hooves can end up 6 inches deep in the ground, which itself is very loose and unable to take weight; so a horse may be required to jump over 5 feet, from squelching mud. I have ridden a horse in such conditions and you have to be very careful, holding your horse together. What Timmy Murphy and Richard Guest achieved this day was truly amazing.
malcs0 11 months ago
There was a big rumour sweeping the course an hour before that the race was gonna be called off, the ground was bottomless. Me and my mates stayed outside in the pouring rain all day, we couldn't get any wetter. I had £25 E/W on Edmond. He was going great until he hit the 13th, climbed the next, then looked like he'd been shot at the Chair.
One of my mates backed Beau, another done Smarty - to win!!!
If it ever rains like that again we could get a similar outcome with hardly any finishers.
gary1961 11 months ago
u got to blame timmy murphy here for smarty losing this race....
such a piss poor jockey in the saddle...
the moment red marauder made a mistake he should have kicked to try get a lead an take the heart out of red marauder.
saying that we all know timmy murphy only wins on horses that can win with any jockey on.
terrible knob jockey timmy mallet murphy.
sepul071200 1 year ago
@sepul071200 are u serious look hw tired smarty was 2 out he was out on his feet if he went any harder on the horse he wud of died of a heart attack.goes 2 sure hw much u knw bout horse racing
crickyquinn09 11 months ago
@crickyquinn09 your not thinking....you obviously know nothing you prik,
the moment red marauder made the mistake if smarty kicked on there.....it could of been a diffrent race and at that point smarty was still on bridle,
im not saying he would have won.....but it might of.
the fact is timmy (mallett) murphy is a waste of time....poor in the saddle as we see every year....
the only horses he wins on are the ones even amateur jocks would win on as the horses will be best in race,
sepul071200 11 months ago
@sepul071200 luk back at the race again and tel me that smarty had a chance u dope. he luks on the bridle but clearly timmy wanted 2 just pop him around and cum 2nd cause when red when on timmy didnt try get after him cause the horse had nothin left 2 give. muppet
crickyquinn09 11 months ago
@crickyquinn09 your clearly fucking thick you inbred clown,
what jockey would be content with 2nd an just pop him round,
stop talking shit u mug.
sepul071200 11 months ago
@sepul071200 2nd wud of bein better than falling u handicap cause thats wat wud of happened or the horse wud of droppin dead of an heart attack u spa
crickyquinn09 11 months ago
@sepul071200 Are you serious???? Timmy is class. Did u see him on Poker De Sivola in the Bet365
comeonshaymen 9 months ago
@comeonshaymen thats 1 ride..... what about the fact he has a shite season every season and his % of winners is awful. he is an average jockey at best.
some of the rides over the last 2 seasons he has blown is just awful.
but hey if you like him thats fine.....im just saying what i think.
sepul071200 9 months ago
what a brave horse Red Marauder was/is...yet not much said about him...what a shame? xxxxx
whichypoohs 1 year ago
Hanmer was actually commentating when Frankie rode his seventh winner at Ascot in 1996. Peter O'Sullevan did not commentate on every single race and Hanmer would fill in, in case the BBC needed commentary. Hanmer left a few years later when the BBC's racing coverage went to practically zero.
malcs0 1 year ago
dont know why alot of you are criticising john hanmer, i thought his commentary for the best part of 30 years was terrific and first class..and unless you can do any better its better to not use technology to bitch about decent people :O
adzybear1989 1 year ago 14
@adzybear1989 Absoultely and on this occasion, the second commentary postition wasn't working, so he had to commentate without being able to see things properly.
stephenrene 10 months ago
totally agree. john hamner's part of my chlldhood watching the national. love this one cos i backed red marauder (each way). spent the last circuit praying he wouldnt fall. i will never forget this national as long as i live
ddiggins79 5 days ago
John Hanmer is painful to listen to
PAULIE6612 1 year ago
@PAULIE6612
John Hanmer was a very good commentator. In this race it was the technology that failed him. He was not supposed to be commentating on the section from the 4th to the 9th. He actually did a very good job considering he had no proper view of what was happening. The Canal Turn pile up would have been well out of his view.
During the 30 years in which he commentated on the National he made remarkably few errors; fewer than Sir Peter and Julian Wilson in my opinion.
Annon1100 11 months ago 2
total miracle there were no fatalities, i know the heavy rain made for soft ground but these are completely unfamiliar conditions for the horses, probably would have been called off nowadays
Willbutler 1 year ago
@Willbutler yeah and that's a shame. See in real life, death happens.
DLPBurke 10 months ago
carl llewellyns running after beau but im afraid he isnt fast enough... class!!!!
djmdjm1980 1 year ago
Thanks for posting
flimper1 1 year ago
I did Blowing wind in this, im sure he would have won if the bloody loose horse hadn't have knobbed him.
martinh103 1 year ago
@martinh103 I had papillon - same. Mind you had that horse not took out half the field at the canal turn as well then who knows who would have won.
LB1973 11 months ago
@martinh103 I agree, looks like it was between BW and PAP, but if you look how McMcoy was pulling BW back hes just cantering round. Loose nag cost me a monkey, had £25 e/w @ 16/1.
On this yrs national, quite fancy Silver by Nature ... will win !!!
martinh103 11 months ago
I liked John Hamner even when it was July and it was Haydock. His voice would remind me of Aintree. Recently, the BBC's dan walker was up in the commentary box with Ian Bartlett. Walker asked Bartlett..."who is your little friend"....referring to Hamner. What an idoitic comment showing total ill preparation when Hamner had called 30 nationals including all Red Rums. "Crisp at the big ditch. He stood right off and jumped it well. He's right out in front"
grincher2006 1 year ago
I think this was his last commentary (after almost 30 years) after a reshuffle following the no power and poor calling. To give John Hamner credit he had to cover a section away from him because Tony O Hehir had no power.
grincher2006 1 year ago
@grincher2006 2003 was johns last commentary grincher, was booted of the course roster in 2000 pre age discrimination laws. But your right johns last commentary was his 30th and his commentating stand was above the first fence, so he was right in saying i can see the back markers better than the leaders.
djmdjm1980 1 year ago
Who was the commentator from the start until 2:38? Boring...
museobsessed17 1 year ago
@museobsessed17
it was John Hanmer
sigmondball 1 year ago
@sigmondball Thanks :) He sounds really boring :P
museobsessed17 1 year ago
@museobsessed17 They lost power at Tony O'Heir so he had to do it with binoculars!
DaveBond21 10 months ago