Ruby Walsh: More than horse races, Melbourne and Aintree leading from the front
MERSEY BEAT: Racegoers cheer as Jockey Paul Townend wins the Randox Grand National riding I Am Maximus last year. Pic: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
In seven days, the second-most watched horse race in the world will be due to go to post in the late afternoon. Estimations vary on how many global eyes will tune into watch the most famous European horse race, the Grand National.
Still, wherever you look, there is a distinct pecking order as to what is the most watched and what comes second, and then there is a significant gap to the rest.
However, just like the most watched race, the Melbourne Cup, all those eyes have brought extra pressure on the Grand National, and the top two carry a heavier burden than every other horse race in the world.
The fall from Melbourne viewing figures to Aintree is an estimation because, globally, no one can put an exact number on it. Still, the drop from Aintree at number two to the third most viewed race, the Kentucky Derby, is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
The ‘Run for the Roses’ at Churchill Downs and the Royal meeting at Ascot tie in with some of the Far East’s biggest days, but there is a gulf in those figures, and they go a long way to explaining why both the Victoria Racing Club and The Jockey Club have had to do the most to save the events they have. Both are more than horse races.
The Melbourne authorities have received every form of criticism for their strict veterinary protocols before participating in the Cup, and every bat and hurl has clouted Aintree over the modifications it has made to its course. Still, it amazes me at times that some people can't see the necessity of change to survive.
There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of people who tune in to watch the Grand National have no prolonged interest in horse racing, just like all those who stop to view the Melbourne Cup, but the couple of million people who do, carry very little political weight in the context of votes against the masses of casual viewers.
These are the only two races globally that have any political influence and are the two that suffer the entire burden of the image of the sport. Only in early April and November can those who want to get rid of horses in sport gain any traction, so the importance of starving them of oxygen to fuel their fires lies with the Melbourne and Aintree authorities.
The images these two races create are the ones that shape the minds of how the masses see the sport, but the world has changed, and the front pages or clickbait posts need drama to draw attention.
An underdog or superpower basking in glory is a given, but one thing hasn't changed in the world: money still makes it go around. Bad news still sells faster and better than good news, so while some view a National winner not making the Sunday front pages as a decline, the reality is that the National not being on a front page means it was a good news story. It is sad but realistic, and for anyone who wishes to knock what the National now is, think before you do so.
What happens next Saturday will shape how many see what a few view as a brilliant sport, a sport of supreme athletes competing at a level many people helped them reach. We hear the back stories of Olympians, All-Ireland medal winners and Six Nations competitors all the time, but each of the 34 horses who go to post next Saturday has the same story, and so will the 34 riders.
From the breeder to the trader to the pre-trainer and trainer, these horses will have been reared, coached and trained to make this lineup. Each rider is the same, and while the build-up will waver to see who will win or will start favourite, and many casual viewers will decide where their flutter should go, this is still a sporting contest.
It is a final, and next Saturday the winner will have touched more than just the owner, trainer, jockey, and groom. All of those who will stand in the shadows but helped those basking in the glory will feel the pride of anyone who has helped any sporting star reach the summit in their sport.
Achieving in horse racing is no different from achieving in any sport, only that one half of the athletic combination can't talk to you and can’t share their excitement or satisfaction verbally. But, if you know horses, you can see it and feel it just like you can see and feel their mood in defeat.
The Grand National is still the Grand National, but every sport has changed its game for the better of its participants, and horse racing is no different. Studs can’t be shown in soccer, and the ball has to be the first point of contact. Heads can't bang in rugby, and they have gone even further in trying to ensure the safety of players' necks and lower limbs.
HDTV has made it more straightforward for the world to see, so every sport has had to change something.
Horse racing is merely keeping pace with the changing world, and Melbourne and Aintree are leading the way. It's time to stop moaning, stop looking back, and move on because, hopefully, a repeat of last year's race lies in store, and that will give the sport the oxygen to keep moving forward.
