# 2020 Grand National - Cancelled



## Elf On A Shelf (16 March 2020)

Booo! Hiss!!!!!!! Not fair! I can understand why but with plenty of other racing going on behind closed doors why couldn't they have done the same here!?!


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## Mule (16 March 2020)

I didn't see that coming when Cheltenham went ahead🤔


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## Peregrine Falcon (16 March 2020)

😟


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## Snowfilly (16 March 2020)

I don’t get that at all! Unless they’re planning to stop the closed doors stuff as well?


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## ycbm (16 March 2020)

I thought the bookies would pay to keep it on behind closed doors. What a shame for everyone who spends a year preparing a horse for that one race. 

.


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## hobo (16 March 2020)

I am guessing the difference now is BJ has stopped emergence services supporting mass gatherings. Though I would have thought that the races ect pay for their own doctors ect but it is very sad that that any many more events are being cancelled.


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2020)

I thought they would either postpone for a week or two to try and allow public or run behind closed doors because it is one of the biggest betting races of the year! 

Racing pays for it's own medics, security etc. And if you ran behind closed doors you would only need the police for the animal rights activists that would still be outside the gates. Internally you would only need the medics that go round in the cars behind the jockeys, if stable staff or owners need them there is always one based next to the weighing room. You would need no security nor police inside the track as there would be no one there.

It is absolutely gutting! Arthur looks absolutely amazing right now and almoat everything has gone right this year. Tiger Roll wont get the chance to equal Red Rums 3 wins. Along with the 40 other horses that have been training for this aim all season!

#$%#&$&*$^#^&$&#^$*!!!!!!!!!!


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## hobo (17 March 2020)

Totally with you on this Elf. Also think of the people training for 4 plus years for the Olympics as this is also looking at risk. They have been cancelling all the qualifiers so people on the edge of being chosen are going to miss out.

And I still do not understand WHY as numbers of corona virus are so low compared to the size of the population. Sad times.


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## twiggy2 (17 March 2020)

The risk still exists between stables, trainers etc, the medical staff and security could be used elsewhere for the benefit of the population as a whole and the police dealing with activists could also be elsewhere helping save lives rather than dealing with people just generally been a pain in the arse at such a difficult time.
I can't pretend to like the grand national but do recognise how frustrating it must be with all the time, work, effort, energy and money gone into getting things just so for the horse to be able to take part on the day let alone have a chance of being placed. 
There are far more pressing things to be dealing with just around the corner though.


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## Leo Walker (17 March 2020)

It doesnt matter if the medics are paid for, its still a resource being taken away from the NHS. Most are NHS staff moonlighting. Thats the main reason sporting events arent going ahead behind closed doors. Theres no medical support so its too risky to do.


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2020)

Ok but what will they be doing otherwise? No offense but everyone is being told to stay at home, if you feel ill ring 111 dont go to the docs or A&E. The rioting hasn't started yet. People haven't started murdering their partners yet. 

If we stop anything that could land you in hospital then we need to stop driving, running, riding, swimming, judo - the list is endless! Unless we literally put ourselves in a huge bubble we can't just stop doing everything.


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## twiggy2 (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			Ok but what will they be doing otherwise? No offense but everyone is being told to stay at home, if you feel ill ring 111 dont go to the docs or A&E. The rioting hasn't started yet. People haven't started murdering their partners yet.

If we stop anything that could land you in hospital then we need to stop driving, running, riding, swimming, judo - the list is endless! Unless we literally put ourselves in a huge bubble we can't just stop doing everything.
		
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I don't need security, medics and police to be on sight whenever I go for a walk and I am sure others don't when they go for a run etc.
I have advised my mum against swimming due to the infection risk in the changing rooms.


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## Rowreach (17 March 2020)

Knowing most of the Irish Olympic rowers and how much they have put in to get to Tokyo, and for some it's their last chance of it (Sanita was going for Gold, and she's too old for 2014), I'd say that while the disappointment is devastating, it's not just horse racing ...


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## SpringArising (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			If we stop anything that could land you in hospital then we need to stop driving, running, riding, swimming, judo - the list is endless! Unless we literally put ourselves in a huge bubble we can't just stop doing everything.
		
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It's about mitigating the risk of catching what is an extremely contagious virus. That's it.


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## Leo Walker (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			Ok but what will they be doing otherwise? No offense but everyone is being told to stay at home, if you feel ill ring 111 dont go to the docs or A&E. The rioting hasn't started yet. People haven't started murdering their partners yet.

If we stop anything that could land you in hospital then we need to stop driving, running, riding, swimming, judo - the list is endless! Unless we literally put ourselves in a huge bubble we can't just stop doing everything.
		
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Its not just about what lands you in hopsital, although you do need to try and avoid that, its anything that takes medics away from hospitals. Thats why everything is now stopped.


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## JFTDWS (17 March 2020)

On the flip side, not running things like this, even behind closed doors, will have massive economic consequences, and those kill people too. There's no good answer.


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## Cortez (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			If we stop anything that could land you in hospital then we need to stop driving, running, riding, swimming, judo - the list is endless! Unless we literally put ourselves in a huge bubble we can't just stop doing everything.
		
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...which is precisely what Spain has done: they are banning recreational and sporting cycling, running, riding, etc. and anyone who insists on continuing will not be covered by insurance for these activities. This situation is SERIOUS folks, you haven't even begun to grasp what is coming down the line.


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2020)

All racing is now off until the end of April at the earliest. 

It's the economic impact that it is going to have that will cause more deaths than the virus. People will be laid off and wont be able to find other work because everyone is looking for a job and many places, like Odeon cinemas etc are shutting shop completely.


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## twiggy2 (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			All racing is now off until the end of April at the earliest.

It's the economic impact that it is going to have that will cause more deaths than the virus. People will be laid off and wont be able to find other work because everyone is looking for a job and many places, like Odeon cinemas etc are shutting shop completely.
		
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No-one said it will be easy but people will be needed elsewhere for the time being


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## Cortez (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			All racing is now off until the end of April at the earliest.

It's the economic impact that it is going to have that will cause more deaths than the virus. People will be laid off and wont be able to find other work because everyone is looking for a job and many places, like Odeon cinemas etc are shutting shop completely.
		
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Really? So potentially 250,000+ people are going to die because they have to go on the dole?


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## ihatework (17 March 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			All racing is now off until the end of April at the earliest. 

It's the economic impact that it is going to have that will cause more deaths than the virus. People will be laid off and wont be able to find other work because everyone is looking for a job and many places, like Odeon cinemas etc are shutting shop completely.
		
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It’s the economic impact (not just racing, in fact that is so low on the priority list right now!) that scares me the most.


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## Mule (17 March 2020)

Cortez said:



			Really? So potentially 250,000+ people are going to die because they have to go on the dole?
		
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Yes. Imperial College London found that the last global financial crisis caused 500,000 cancer deaths worldwide between 2008 and 2010. They found a correlation between each percentage increase in unemployment, and an uptick in cancer deaths.

Also, a 2014  Oxford University study found more than 10,000 Suicides Tied To Economic Crisis.

In Iceland babies had a lower birth weight and a study in England found that more women continued smoking during pregnancy.

There's also going to be deaths because of existing operations and health services being cancelled/ delayed due to the epidemic.

So, the health and societal effects are potentially far far worse than deaths from the virus (which are at least fairly quick).


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2020)

Cortez said:



			Really? So potentially 250,000+ people are going to die because they have to go on the dole?
		
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It's not as simple as going on the dole. Mortgages need paid, rent needs paid, food needs bought, people need to survive and I am not just talking about racing. Racing is a very, very small cog in the overall picture. But a lot of people will lose jobs, a lot of people will lose businesses, the big companies will take a hit but they can afford to. Your local restaurant or pub owner still has a family to feed. Not being able to do that has a massive effect on peoples mental health. 

In terms of racing some smaller yards wont be able to come back from this. No racing means no income. Horses are turned away on basic livery rates which is 1/4 of what they are for a horse in full work. And with no racing for at least a month and a half most owners will want their horses turned away, no point in them being in work. We are starting our summer work early as 75% of our horses went from working today to being on holiday. Hopefully we will be able to race from May 1st onwards but we shall wait and see.


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## Elf On A Shelf (17 March 2020)

ihatework said:



			It’s the economic impact (not just racing, in fact that is so low on the priority list right now!) that scares me the most.
		
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Yes I did mean the whole country, not just racing, I just didn't word it very well to differentiate on a racinf thread!


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## JFTDWS (17 March 2020)

It's the economic consequences which make this serious - whether or not public events are shut down, the economic consequences of this sort of pandemic are huge and far-reaching.


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## Indy (17 March 2020)

I wonder if it's to keep people out of the bookies too


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## JFTDWS (17 March 2020)

Indy said:



			I wonder if it's to keep people out of the bookies too
		
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Surely easier to close the bookies and push online betting?


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## Indy (17 March 2020)

JFTDWS said:



			Surely easier to close the bookies and push online betting?
		
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Didn't think of that, I'll bet there's a lot who don't have the ability to go on line, one of them being my brother who spends every afternoon in the bookies. I bet he isn't the only one.


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## JFTDWS (17 March 2020)

Indy said:



			Didn't think of that, I'll bet there's a lot who don't have the ability to go on line, one of them being my brother who spends every afternoon in the bookies. I bet he isn't the only one.
		
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Bet he'd work it out if the bookies were all shut.  Or stop gambling.  Or possibly find a dodgy underground betting ring.  I don't know which he'd prefer


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## Indy (17 March 2020)

The dodgy underground betting ring knowing him


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## Velcrobum (21 March 2020)

Lucinda Russell has given an interview to BBC Sport.


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## Elf On A Shelf (21 March 2020)

Velcrobum said:



			Lucinda Russell has given an interview to BBC Sport.
		
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Yes ... And you should see some of the comments on the facebook page ...


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## MagicMelon (23 March 2020)

Brilliant, I am delighted its not going ahead - at least some of the horses will live another day!  

I cant believe racing in any form is still being allowed. No different to other equestrian sport being held so IMO they should stop it right now too.


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## bonny (23 March 2020)

MagicMelon said:



			Brilliant, I am delighted its not going ahead - at least some of the horses will live another day!  

I cant believe racing in any form is still being allowed. No different to other equestrian sport being held so IMO they should stop it right now too.
		
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Actually the opposite is true and there are a lot of racehorses facing an uncertain future, racing isn’t going ahead in the UK, there is one meeting a day in Ireland which is up to them.


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## be positive (23 March 2020)

bonny said:



			Actually the opposite is true and there are a lot of racehorses facing an uncertain future, racing isn’t going ahead in the UK, there is one meeting a day in Ireland which is up to them.
		
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With no racing, no, or very limited, rehoming, owners possibly losing businesses and jobs, a racehorse will be one luxury that keeps on costing money racing or no racing, I suspect a lot will be quickly and quietly disposed of, although at least they will not be put through the sales ring to take their chance, which can be a far worse fate than taking part in the GN.


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## littleshetland (25 March 2020)

bonny said:



			Actually the opposite is true and there are a lot of racehorses facing an uncertain future, racing isn’t going ahead in the UK, there is one meeting a day in Ireland which is up to them.
		
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Which just goes to show how expendable they are......


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## Tiddlypom (27 March 2020)

We will have a race over the GN course to watch on 4 April! Hurray! A virtual race of champions with Red Rum and Tiger Roll amongst those in the starting line up.

Virtual Grand National set for 4 April after Aintree race cancelled https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/52066925


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## Elf On A Shelf (27 March 2020)

Tiddlypom said:



			We will have a race over the GN course to watch on 4 April! Hurray! A virtual race of champions with Red Rum and Tiger Roll amongst those in the starting line up.

Virtual Grand National set for 4 April after Aintree race cancelled https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/52066925

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Do they have a list of runners anywhere? Ie is Arthur on the list?


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## Tiddlypom (27 March 2020)

Ah, looks like there are two races. 

One is a race of champions including horses from former eras, and the other is a race with the likely 40 starters of the 2020 GN renewal.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/wou...-broadcast-virtual-2020-grand-national/430107


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## Tiddlypom (4 April 2020)

The virtual Grand National 2020 is on ITV today at 5pm .

There is betting on the race, with proceeds to go to the NHS. A few people do inevitably know the result already, but they have been sworn to secrecy.

ETA cross posted with Be Positive, who has started a thread showing the runners .

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/will-tiger-roll-win-again.787507/


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## EGUSVet (4 April 2020)

Best thing about this is the proceeds go to the NHS


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## LeneHorse (5 April 2020)

I see red rum won the previous winners version of the Virtual national. Obviously a crowd pleaser but if this was reality would he really have won? I would have thought that the advances in nutrition, veterinary medicine farriery etc since the 1970s might have favoured a more recent horse. On the other hand the course was a lot stiffer back in those days. What do you all think?


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## Elf On A Shelf (5 April 2020)

LeneHorse said:



			I see red rum won the previous winners version of the Virtual national. Obviously a crowd pleaser but if this was reality would he really have won? I would have thought that the advances in nutrition, veterinary medicine farriery etc since the 1970s might have favoured a more recent horse. On the other hand the course was a lot stiffer back in those days. What do you all think?
		
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If you look back at the timings of previous Nationals the race is no quicker. Whatis different is the speed they go on each circuit. Back in Red Rums day they went slower on the first circuit - once they knew their horses could jump the fences the second circuit was much quicker. These days there is more of an even tempo throughout the whole race - after the 3rd or 4th fence when every One stopes charging down to the first and settles down. 

So whilst Red Rum may have been a back marker in modern day Nationals he would have sauntered past them all once turned for home - kindof how One For Arthur won. Never heard a peep about him in the commentary, couldn't see him on the screen, only assuminghe was still in the race because he hadn't been mentioned as falling, unseating or pulling up. And then 3 out he starts to roll on, gets a mention 2 out and takes up the running!


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## Jeni the dragon (5 April 2020)

Amberleigh House was like that too. I remember listening on the radio at work but had missed the start, so presumed he hadn't got that far. Think it was about the last fence when he got a mention. Always remember as had money on him!


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## Elf On A Shelf (5 April 2020)

£2.6 million is going to the NHS off the back of the Virtual Grand National! Well Done bookies for doing that!


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## Berpisc (5 April 2020)

Elf On A Shelf said:



			£2.6 million is going to the NHS off the back of the Virtual Grand National! Well Done bookies for doing that!
		
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I watched this at work with the lady I support, did not know proceeds were going to the NHS that is fantastic! I will tell her tomorrow, she will be pleased.


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