Well, then. How do you reflect on the Marmite Grand National? I call it that because it seems that a week on from three magnificent days at Aintree, a debate continues to rage over the race around which the festival is built — you either loved it or hated it.
Those in the latter camp argue it’s nothing like it used to be, a pale shadow of the contest that gave us Red Rum, Aldaniti, Foinavon and all the other stories that reverberate through history. The fences are easy now, they say. What you watched was a glorified Cross Country Chase.
Then there is the other view, the one from which supporters have rushed to point out the most number of finishers since 2005, no horse falling and no horse lost in action. The Grand National is back in business, they will tell you.
I paint the two sides in such detail because these days, increasingly, everything must be black or white. When a debate erupts, particularly in the challenging environment of social media, you are either with someone or against them. There is no room for being grey, in the middle.
I find it sad because grey is where I am. I wouldn’t dream of suggesting for a minute it is the race of my childhood, the one that made me fall in love with racing, but it cannot be that race, the one with fences, solid in the middle, that resembled the north face of the Eiger. We live in a different world.
Joint favourite I Am Maximus (front) on the way to victory in the Grand National at Aintree
In total, 21 of the 32-strong field completed the race, the joint highest figure since 1992
What I will say categorically, however, is that it was a good Grand National. And, believe me, racing needed a good Grand National in 2024, to provide a foundation to build from in the years to come.
Let me explain it another way. After the chaos of the 2023 edition, I spent the week that followed defending the race. I had to miss the Craven meeting at Newmarket to appear on The News Agents podcast and on various different outlets. It was draining, demoralising and worrying.
This week? It couldn’t be more different. I worked at Newmarket, enjoying the start to the Flat season, and I’ll be at Ayr today, hoping to keep the feelgood factor going. I called in at St Mary’s during the week and I was told by Southampton fans who stopped me what a great race they’d seen.
Like it or not, the Grand National is racing’s shop window. It gets three times as many viewers as the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Derby at Epsom. From John Magnier, the most powerful man in the business, to those who sell teas and coffee at Fontwell, everyone needed a good Grand National.
We had an audience of six million on ITV, which reflected 60 per cent of the people in the country who were watching the television at that time when the weather across the land was beautiful. Don’t tell me the interest in this sporting institution is not there.
This year’s race, won brilliantly by I Am Maximus, delivered for the sport. Chairman Nicholas Wrigley, the region’s Jockey Club director Dickon White, clerk of the course Sulekha Varma and head of communications Grant Rowley deserve enormous credit for the show that Aintree put on.
Corach Rambler’s bid for back-to-back wins in the Grand National ended at the first fence
But we can’t kid ourselves. Not all the issues are solved and there will always be risk. It’s still a stiff test and backers of my fancy, Panda Boy, or defending champion Corach Rambler will know the fences still cause problems!
Still, this was an excellent start. The changes worked and, crucially, the general public know they can trust the Aintree executive. Trust is everything for racing’s social licence — and that’s key for the future of the race.
They know how to balance welfare and modern perceptions while protecting the unique nature of the great race. Now we can play our part and help publicise the race better next year — without the element of fear this time around.
Ed Chamberlin is a Sky Bet UK ambassador
