Odds
My office picks for the Grand National are Juveigneur and Cornish Rebel. I didn't get to pick them myself, but threw two quid in the jar and got my two picks at random. As of today they were both 25-1 odds, not too bad I think because it always seems that the 5-1's never win like everyone thinks they will and the 400-1's is just absurd wishfulness.
Somehow I totally missed all this last year even though office mates swear up and down "everyone was in the pool." This definitely seems to be a national tradition. Apparently it's a horribly difficult course and some horses don't even finish. But they said it's not as a bad now since animal rights activists went to town on it and ruined it like they ruin everything (hey hey, vegetarian's are allowed to make those jokes!!) Looks tough, tougher than any steeple chase I've seen in America...
At least one guy from here predicts one of mine as a winner! Wish me luck!
Somehow I totally missed all this last year even though office mates swear up and down "everyone was in the pool." This definitely seems to be a national tradition. Apparently it's a horribly difficult course and some horses don't even finish. But they said it's not as a bad now since animal rights activists went to town on it and ruined it like they ruin everything (hey hey, vegetarian's are allowed to make those jokes!!) Looks tough, tougher than any steeple chase I've seen in America...
At least one guy from here predicts one of mine as a winner! Wish me luck!
I think it's around 3.6 horsey deaths each year at the National. That's quite a lot of Horse Burger for a Frenchman. Still, compared to Cheltenham which once boasted over 20 dead expensive horsies in 50 shotgun busy days, it's a walk in the park.
Posted by
Huw |
2:04 am, April 08, 2006
I still don't understand what the hell this is. Is this London's poor excuse for the Kentucky Derby?
-SourKraut
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:01 am, April 10, 2006
Er...no. The Kentucky Derby is a johnny-come-lately version of THE Derby, run at Epsom in the UK (at least 100 years older and on which the KD was based). The Grand National is universally acknowledged as the world's greatest and toughest Steeplechase (ie 4 miles over high fences, 5 ft+ in some cases). Over £250 million (ie over $400 million) is wagered amongst virtually the entire country every year on it. It's run at Airtree, which is a racecourse in Liverpool.
Posted by
Anonymous |
10:49 am, April 10, 2006
Is there an infield at this Kentucky Derby copycat where people can get drunk and stupid and forget that there's even an event going on?
-SourKraut
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:12 am, April 12, 2006
Oooh yes....usually numerous arrests...
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:35 pm, April 12, 2006
"Is this London's poor excuse for the Kentucky Derby"
Why do some Americans always think that people copy them? Amazingly some parts of the world do actually get on fine without help from America you know! UK is one of them.
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:57 pm, April 12, 2006
This Kentucky Derby wannabe can't be this amazing race if first off, she's been in London a couple years now and totally missed it last year. Do they do this race every other year, or was it hush hush last year? Second of all this can't be that great of a race to watch since England doesn't have as good of athletes as the US does. My case and point, take a look at the 2006 winter Olympics. Great Britain put on an impressive showing with their whopping lone medal they got in the world wide spectator sport of.....Skeleton? What the hell is Skeleton and why did Great Britain only come away with a silver medal? What scares me more is that some country is actually better at this "sport". Maybe the athletes were saving all their energy for this big horsey race coming up?
-SourKraut
Posted by
Anonymous |
5:08 am, April 13, 2006
I smell a wind up.
Posted by
Anonymous |
9:02 pm, April 13, 2006