# The Grand National



## ollyming (May 12, 2004)

Right Folks, it's the Grand National this weekend and as if the office sweepstake wasn't excitement enough I have a competition for you. Up for grabs are 5 NATOs in a variety of sizes and colours:

20mm green/red/green

18mm olive, brown and red/white/blue

17mm brown/red/green

Rules are simple enough. Simply post the horse you think is going to win The Grand National and if it comes home first you get the straps! First come, first served so once a horse has been picked that's it. As there are only 40 runners this means only the first 40 distinct posts will be in the running. If more than one person picks the same horse then it'll be whoever posted it first. Only one entry per person.

Just to make it a bit more entertaining I also want to know why you picked the horse you've chosen - best reason as juged by me gets a 20mm Bond for their troubles.

In the event of a dispute the judges desicion is final etc etc etc






















!

Cheers, Olly


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## ESL (Jan 27, 2004)

Risk Accessor for me please.

Simple enough reason, I'm a risk assessor by profession. (Boring or what???







)


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

CLICK HERE FOR THE RUNNERS

I'm going for INNOX Only because it's close enough to INOX which is french for Stainless Steel I believe and you see it a lot on strap bukles!

Are all 6 of J P McM's horses running in the same colours


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## ollyming (May 12, 2004)

Come on guys, ony a few hours left to go!



ESL said:


> Risk Accessor for me please.
> 
> Simple enough reason, I'm a risk assessor by profession. (Boring or what???
> 
> ...


You're telling me. I spend 6 hours on Friday doing Risk Based Inspection reviews for pressure relief streams. Somewhat tedious.

Cheers, Olly


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## MikeM (Jun 21, 2003)

It takes time for me please.









Mikem


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Strong Resolve for me, as I always need it to stop myself buying more watches...( I havent got much of it







)


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> AMBERLEIGH HOUSE


For me, please......There is a village of that name just 2 miles away.

Roger


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

JUST IN DEBT for me please.

Why? Well the name speaks for itself doesn't it


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

NIL DESPERANDUM

Because one day I might again find a watch as nice as either the JLC pilots or Autavia Heuer chronograph In a junk shop for Â£25 and Â£14 respectively


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

I haven't seen the Grand National for years; but it struck me that the fences seemed smaller and fall apart very easily. Horses looked as if the were jumping through the fences rather than over them.

Has this been a change to keep the animal "rights" activists quiet?


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

JoT said:


> I haven't seen the Grand National for years; but it struck me that the fences seemed smaller and fall apart very easily. Horses looked as if the were jumping through the fences rather than over them.
> 
> Has this been a change to keep the animal "rights" activists quiet?
> 
> ...


John,

They've been jumping "through" the fences for as long as I can remember...so for at least the last 20 years.

Paul


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Hmmmm

I have done a Google ... the fences were changed in 2001, previously they had a vertical face on the approach, since 2001 they have a sloped face to make them more like other National Hunt fences. The density of the fences was also reduced so the horses can "brush" through them.

I don't care one way or the other as I have no interest in horse racing, but it did strike me that the race "looked" different from last time I saw it some time in the 1990's.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

They've been slowly adapting the course over the last 35 years. A lot of it is to do with modern breeding. The modern National hunt horse is really a mid way point between the old hunters and out and out sprinters.

As they bread them for speed the jumping ability falls away and as a result fences have slowly become smaller and less solid.

It's a totally different race now to what it was.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Result as follows

1610 John Smith's Grand National Chase (4m 4f)

1. Hedgehunter 7-1f

2. Royal Auclair 40-1

3. Simply Gifted 66-1

4. It Takes Time 18-1

5. Forest Gunner

6. Nil Desperandum

7. Innox

8. Heros Collognes

9. Just In Debt

10. Amberleigh House

11. Binderee

12. Iznagoud

13. Polar Red

14. Joly Bey

15. L'Aventure

16. Monty's Pass

17. Strong Resolve

18. Spot Thedifference

19. Arctic Copper

20. Europa

21. Shamawan

FENCE ONE

Fell: Lord Atterbury Unseated: Frenchman's Creek

FENCE TWO

Unseated: Ballycassidy, Risk Accessor

FENCE NINE

Unseated: Native Emperor

FENCE 10

Fell: Merchant's Friend

FENCE 13

Pulled up: Astonville

FENCE 15 (The Chair)

Unseated: Take The Stand

FENCE 19

Pulled up: Jakari

FENCE 20

Fell: Foly Pleasant

FENCE 21

Pulled up: Le Coudray Unseated: Double Honour

FENCE 22 (Becher's Brook)

Refused: Ballybough Rasher Fell: Ad Hoc Carried out: Clan Royal Unseated: Marcus Du Berlais

FENCE 27

Pulled up: Colnel Rayburn

FENCE 28

Pulled up: Fondmort, Glenelly Gale

Nice idea for a comp Olly but in hindsight perhaps left it a bit late.

At least all but on of our tips finished with MikeM getting a place at 4th

What happened to Risk Accessor George?


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## ollyming (May 12, 2004)

pg tips said:


> Nice idea for a comp Olly but in hindsight perhaps left it a bit late.
> 
> At least all but on of our tips finished with MikeM getting a place at 4th
> 
> ...


Yep, definitely left it a bit late but we didn't get the sweepstake at work done until Thursday afternoon and that was what gave me the idea!

I'll assume you all placed each-way bets so MikeM gets the NATOs with his horse coming in fourth! George (ESL) gets the bonus Bond NATO because he had the same horse that I had a proper bet, only for it to fall at the second...

PG - Thanks for posting the link to the runners and all the results - far more organised than me!

Winners PM me yor addresses and I'll send the straps off on Monday.

Cheers, Olly


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## ESL (Jan 27, 2004)

> What happened to Risk Accessor George?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The horse did a risk assessment for the remainder of the race, thought "Sod this for a game of gee gee's", threw his rider, and went for a nice walk instead.

Effing nag... I had a fiver on that


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## MikeM (Jun 21, 2003)

Thank you olly

NATOs recieved today









Regards

MikeM


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