The Roar
The Roar

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The glorious spectacle of jumps racing

Roar Rookie
4th June, 2013
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Roar Rookie
4th June, 2013
13

I guess you could say that I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet at the moment and therefore feel the need to offload my feelings onto other racing fans.

It’s the middle of the jump racing season in the southern hemisphere at the moment, and as always, there is the barrage of criticism from snippets of the general populous.

I live in the UK at the moment, where jump racing is probably more popular than ever.

The Grand National Steeple, which is held here at Aintree near Liverpool at the beginning of April each year, has seen its ups and downs over the years.

However, this year saw a renewed enthusiasm for this iconic event.

It still has many critics who believe that this event is cruel and therefore should be banned. But I can’t help but feel that after this year’s race, the voices of opposition were a little less obvious than in previous years.

It was run in perfect weather and the brilliance of the horses that just seem to glide over the jumps with the cacophony of sounds that can be heard from horse and rider is a marvel to behold.

The equivalent event in Australia is now the Grand National Steeple held at Sandown in Melbourne on July 28th. My expecatations are that this historic event will still be acknowledged as one of the highlights of the Australian racing calendar.

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The legend that is “Crisp,” who was probably Australia’s best ever horse over the jumps, is still revered here in the UK for his outstanding performance in the 1973 Grand National.

I often watch televised races here in England and his name is mentioned in many conversations, even at such events as this year’s Epsom Derby. He is without doubt one of Australia’s best ever exports to the UK.

Crisp’s inauguration into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame earlier this year has cemented his place in the history books.

Unfortunately, we have already seen the loss of the Hiskens Steeple at Moonee Valley, which was a race that Crisp excelled in before he went to the UK

Let’s not see the other big feature jump races go the same way.

Jump racing should still remain a big part of the fabric of thoroughbred racing in Australia. It’s such a spectacle to watch and a part of history that does not deserve to be abandoned to satisfy the unenlightened few.

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