April 17, 2007
Guru once again witnessed the annual debacle that is the start of the Grand National horse race on Saturday as his own office sweepstake pick advanced straight to the glue factory.
Former jockey Peter Scudamore wrote for This is London:
You can hardly blame the riders...Another Grand National scarred by the shambolic start. Six times starter Peter Haynes asked the jockeys to line up as tempers frayed. Each time some riders barely moved, with blindingly obvious conclusions.
Haynes has a tough job and blamed the jockeys but a lack of trust exists in the weighing room after a leading fancy was left standing at the Cheltenham Festival. After that, riders are reluctant to risk blowing their chance.
Guru is an expert in matters that extend far beyond the boundaries of mere human resources, and has an excellent idea to make the start of the world's most famous steeplechase both more reliable and more exciting.
The scheme has its origins in the old Le Mans motor race running start, when the drivers had to leg it across the track and climb into their cars before setting off.
Guru suggests something similar for the Grand National. The horses could be lined up at the start next to mounting steps, and the jockeys could be 800 metres away in their own starting blocks. On the gun the jockeys could sprint towards their horse, climb aboard and set off around the testing Aintree course.
Further variations could be added such as:
a) Allowing the jockeys to choose their horse on a first-come-first-served basis (thus rewarding the faster runners).
b) Positioning the horses after the first hurdle, which would make for a very entertaining spectacle as three dozen tiny Irishmen attempt to scale a 4' 6" obstacle.
This would also have the benefit of giving the hard-pressed bookmaking community plenty of welcome additional gambling opportunities.
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