2011 Grand National – Ballabriggs Won!

As always, the race was knuckle whitening, nail biting thrill as the horses had a mad dash around the notoriously difficult a dangerous triangular race track. Living rooms all over the world were tuning in to witness the 2011 Grand National champion past the finishing line, and earn their place in horse racing history.

For Donald McCain, son of Aintree legend Ginger McCain, the trainer of Red Rum, Ballabriggs was an emotional winner of the John Smith's Grand National. Ballabriggs has won the 2011 Aintree Grand National, the 14-1 chance ridden by Jason Maguire, came home ahead of Oscar time with last year’s winner Don’t Push It, putting up a strong race to almost defy the top weight in third. 

However, the day still belonged to Ballabriggs who after being prominent throughout the race appeared to falter near the end before getting a final push with the line in sight. 

Grand National 2011 Champion (Ballabriggs)

The win is great because the most famous race in racing was won by one of the famous training families in racing which McCain’s father the legendary Ginger McCain who trained the equally legendary Red Rum to success. 

State of Play came in fourth with Niche Market fifth while pre race favorite The Midnight Club running home in sixth place. Thats Rhythm was the first horse to fall failing to make it over the first fence while Sir Alex Ferguson’s horse What a Friend pulled up on the 27th fence. A total of 22 horses failed to finish the famous race with Ornais’s and Dooney’s gate falls proving fatal. 

The Top 6 Result:
1st BALLABRIGGS (14-1)
2nd Oscar Time (14-1)
3rd Don’t Push It (9-1)
4th State Of Play (28-1)
5th Niche Market
6th The Midnight Club

Grand National – A Short Preview!

A world famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England is the Grand National, also known simply as the National. The Aintree Racecourse is a handicap steeplechase run over a distance of 4 miles and 856 yards (7,242 m), with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits. Since 1839, the race has been held at Aintree each year, with the exception of during the First World War (1916-1918) when it was held at Gatwick Racecourse, during the Second World War (1941-1945) when it was called off, and in 1993 when the race was declared void owing to a false start. The next Grand National will be held on 14 April 2012.

To understand better about the Grand National, let us preview a short history of it. William Lynn, a syndicate head and proprietor of the Waterloo Hotel, founded the Grand National by on land he leased in Aintree from William Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton. On February 7, 1829, Lynn set out a course, built a grandstand, and Lord Sefton laid the foundation stone. Regarding the first official Grand National, there is much debate, but most leading published historians, including John Pinfold, prefer the idea in this way:

• 1836- First running was in and was won by The Duke.
• 1837- This same horse won again.
• 1838- Sir William was the winner.

Because of the belief that they took place at Maghull and not Aintree, these races have long been disregarded. However, some historians have evidence in recent years that suggest those three races were run over the same course at Aintree and were regarded as having been Grand Nationals up until the mid-1860s. Calls for the Nationals of 1836–1838 to be restored to the record books have been unsuccessful to date.

In 1838 and 1839, three significant events occurred to transform the Liverpool race from a small local affair to a national event.

1. Firstly, the Great St. Albans Chase, which had clashed with the steeplechase at Aintree, was not renewed after 1838, leaving a major hole in the chasing calendar.
2. Secondly, the railway arrived in Liverpool, enabling transport to the course by rail for the first time.
3. Finally, a committee was formed to better organise the event.

In 1839, these factors led to a more highly-publicised race which attracted a larger field of top quality horses and riders, greater press coverage and an increased attendance on race day. The first three runnings of the event were quickly forgotten to secure the 1839 race its place in history as the first official Grand National which was won by rider Jem Mason on 5/1 favourite Lottery.

By the 1840s, Lynn's ill-health blunted his enthusiasm for Aintree. Edward Topham, a respected handicapper and prominent member of Lynn's syndicate, began to exert greater influence over the National. In 1834, he turned the chase into a handicap after it had been

Malaysian Grand Prix 2012 Preview

With one race down out of twenty, the next stop on the calendar for the Formula 1 World Championship is the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

The Sepang International Circuit will be hosting the 14^th Malaysian Grand Prix in Formula 1 history. This track is considered to be one of the most technical circuits and it is very demanding for car and driver, with various long high-speed corners and conditions that affect the cooling of the car. And with the unpredictable nature of the weather at Malaysia, it will either be a washout or very hot and humid, which will make for an interesting couple of days for the drivers both on and off the track.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel dominated the weekend and took lights to flag victory from pole position. Lewis Hamilton, alongside him on the front row had an eventful race, one which saw him head to the pits four times.

With Jenson Button showing victory in Melbourne at the season opener, will Vettel be able to take another win at the Asian circuit, or will Hamilton find the pace to take the top step?

Sepang International Circuit

TIMETABLE:

Fri 23 March 2012

Practice 1 07:30 - 09:00
Practice 2 11:30 - 13:00


Sat 24 March 2012

Practice 3 10:30 - 11:30
Qualifying 13:30

Sun 25 March 2012
Race 13:30