The Grand National - The Blue Riband of Horse Racing

‘A drugs ban and a criminal trial hanging over him , Dylan Thomas beneath him’ remains one of my favourite lines of literature.

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The penguin ? It’s a Canada bar now or something. A kip.

Washing machine for George Mitchell

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The arc always produces an amazing finish. Nearly every year the winner either comes from the clouds or just barely hangs on.

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Serious test. Some barging at start with hyper jap and French horses

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There’s a fella running a pub called buggy’s in Paris. Owned by a Tyrone fella.

The greatest race. I plan to never miss it until I physically aren’t up to it. Such an unreal atmosphere.

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Money to be made on the lopsided pari mutuel.
Donn McLean used to have a great value article the morning of it advising people to back Irish/uk horses on the PM in the bookies. The japs on course crashed Deep impact into odds on one year, rest of field at great price.

Chappers articulating here
CHATTY CHAPPERS

Matt Chapman is back and discusses mental health in the sport after the sad week with the death of Liam Treadwell

EXCLUSIVE

  • Matt Chapman

  • 26 Jun 2020, 20:19

  • Updated: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

LIAM Treadwell was a well liked man. A good man. That he died this week at the age of 34 is a tragedy.

Of course Treadwell was a Grand National hero, steering Mon Mome to an unlikely victory in the greatest jumps race of them all at Aintree in 2009.

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Credit: Marie Fitzgerald

But to be honest while heroic that is irrelevant. Treadwell was a young man. And now he has gone.

In many ways I have been feeling guilty. That is something many will struggle to understand. But some time ago I was left worried about Liam. And I did nothing.

I can remember the conversation clearly. It came at Worcester racecourse.

I was reporting for Sky Sports Racing, and I’d noted Treadwell was on the card. It surprised me as I knew he had retired.

So I went into the weighing room and asked him for a quick word.

When he came to talk to me, I said to him: “Liam, I had no idea you were back. Have I missed it in the paper? Would you like to come and have an interview to let everyone know?”

Liam politely replied: “I’m not sure Matt. I’m trying to keep it low key. Is anyone that bothered? I think I’ll just leave it as I don’t want to say too much.”

And that was that.

I was left stunned. Very few people in any profession who have been absent would not want to promote their return.

It left me feeling disappointed or, perhaps, a better word frustrated. And I remember thinking about it over and over. Because Liam and I got on just fine. I was going to promote him. It was as if he had decided the comeback was relatively pointless.

I’ve felt like this before in racing. When champion Pat Eddery died, and Pat was an absolute hero of mine, I strongly believed he had been let down and I know many of his family did as well. So many people knew Pat was suffering. But he passed away.

Of course when it comes to mental health issues and addictions, many will say you can’t help everyone. That the people involved have to want to help themselves, and that if they don’t want that there’s very little that can be done. I’m sure that is true.

Look, I am no expert on this, and I would never claim to be so. But I have been around a bit now, and trust me my life is far from always easy.

There are people out there constantly trying to ruin me and that’s a fact. And sometimes I do a pretty good job of nearly ruining myself.

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It worries me that so-called experts continue to claim that racing is an industry leader in looking after its own, for all that I totally respect the work of the Injured Jockeys’ Fund and Racing Welfare.

Liam Treadwell has died. Earlier this year another jockey James Banks died. We claim to be the Sport of Kings, so let’s do even more. Let’s never think enough is enough.

This is important to me. Racing does not like people who don’t say it’s all wonderful. But it’s not all wonderful. Ask the family and friends of Treadwell and Banks if everything is going well.

I’ve been asked by an organisation called Men Unite (@_MenUnite on Twitter) to help promote their work and I’m only too willing to do so.

It’s an organisation to help struggling men to talk. It’s not full of doctors or experts. Indeed the angle is no boffins at all. Just normal men suffering, helping and supporting normal men. People who are living it, and who have lived it.

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If you are reading this and in need remember you show strength - not weakness - by asking for help.

The world is a messed up place at the moment. Covid-19 has killed so many, but it will also destroy so many via lack of work and business failure. Racism and hate is rife and for many now a normal way of life. People kill and lack any value of human worth.

All decent people can do is try and be better. To understand. To care about one another, and to act when one thinks there may be an issue. You see politicians, rallies and protests might bring some awareness but they won’t change the way we are.

Only you and me can do that. Every one of us has to look in the mirror and decide if we are decent. If you are struggling in any way. Talk to someone.

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What I’ve heard from friends who would have known of Liam I don’t think he could have been helped. I’m not the best with words but I think he may have suffered from a fairly serious head injury that effected him for the last few months. I don’t think anybody could have cheered him up or talked him out of it. I’d say it was from severe concussion as opposed to a standard depression or whatever.

Some thread…the poor jockeys have an awful life apparently…what about the horses they are whipping to death around a field and fuck knows what’s being injected into them.

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He was carried out of Samsara, although he probably thought he was flying

Not to mention the population at large. Slaughtered and murdered by the horsey set that went to Cheltenham to have their fun in the middle of a global pandemic.

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MURDERERS.

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Well said. You’re the first Liverpool fan I’ve ever heard admit this

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Imagine running a marathon and someone running behind you and giving g you a kick up the arse that’s what it’s like for horse.

Making light of suicide now, good stuff lads

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Many horse races are shorter than marathon distance fyi

The grand national 4 mile race is a excessive distance for horses to travel at 30 mph or there abouts.

Could you run flat out and jump 8 - 10 foot every couple of hundred metres then sprint again.

I’m not having a go at you in particular I dont like cruelty to animals.

No horse is bred to run like that no matter what a trainer says it’s down right cruel to the animals.

Juhy isn’t a horse and a horse isn’t a human.