The fence was originally known as the Monument Jump and it is one of only two fences which are navigated once by the riders, the other being the Water Jump.
The Chair is the 15th fence in the Grand National. Course Description The Grand National course is triangular in shape and The Grand National itself is run over two complete circuits taking in sixteen spruce fences first time around and fourteen the second and still provides one of the toughest tests ever devised for horse and rider.
Fence Descriptions Of the 16 fences which make up the National course, five of the jumps have become famous in their own right.
The Canal Turn The Canal Turn is notable for the sharp left turn that the runners have to take as soon as they have negotiated the fence. The Chair Positioned in front of the grandstand, The Chair is the tallest fence 5ft 3in in the Grand National and horses must also clear a 6ft ditch on the take-off side, with the landing side being 6in higher than the take-off side.
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Though, coming straight after the biggest drop, it can catch horses and riders out. To avoid it, they must turn a full 90 degrees when they touch down. The race can be won or lost here. A diagonal leap, taking the fence at a scary angle reduces the turn-on landing. With 30 or more horses often standing at this point, not every rider has the option to take this daring passage.
Before the First World War, it was not uncommon for loose horses to continue straight after the jump. The fence was originally known as the Second Brook. But it was renamed after a horse named Valentine was reputed to have jumped the fence hind legs first in The runners then cross the Melling Road near to the Anchor Bridge.
In the early days, it was thought there was an obstacle near this point known as the Table Jump. It may have resembled a bank like those seen at Punchestown in Ireland. In the s the Melling Road was also flanked by hedges and the runners had to jump into the road and then back out. This is the other obstacle to have had its landing side smoothed out ahead of the renewal. The Chair is both the tallest 5ft 2in and broadest fence. It has a 6ft wide ditch on the take-off side.
The landing side turf is actually raised six inches above the take-off ground. After having stretched to get over the ditch, horses are surprised to find the ground coming up to meet them. Joe Wynne sustained injuries in a fall in This brought about the ditch on the take-off side of the fence. The fence was the location where a distance judge sat in the earliest days of the race.
On the second circuit, he would record the finishing order from his position. The practice ended in the s but the monument where the chair stood is still there. The fence was originally known as the Monument Jump but The Chair came into more regular use in the s. The sight of the runners jumping it at speed presents a terrific spectacle in front of the grandstands.
The fence was originally a stone wall in the very early Grand Nationals. The yard long run in from the final fence to the finish is the longest in the country. It has an acute elbow halfway up it that further drains the stamina reserves of both horse and jockey. For numerous riders, this elongated run-in has proved mental and physical agony. The winning post seems to be retreating with every weary stride.
The run-in can, and usually does, change fortunes. The likes of Devon Loch, Crisp and Sunnyhillboy have all famously had defeat snatched in heat breaking fashion. No visit to Aintree would be complete without taking the opportunity to see some of these famous fences close up. The whole course can actually be walked on the morning of the race subject to ground conditions and security requirements. Walkers should leave an hour to do a circuit, which must be completed one hour prior to the first race.
Maps, guiding racegoers to the start point, are located around the racecourse. Nov Grand National Stands and Enclosures Nov How to watch the Grand National Oct Grand National A-Z A version of the race took place before this, but is accepted as the official start of the race as we know it today.
Then, it was called off between because of the Second World War. The race has changed a lot since it began. The courses and fences have been tweaked over the years - not least to make them safer for the horses and jockeys.
The starting line has also moved further away from the main stand to help the horses to remain calmer at the beginning. But throughout the years, it has always been one of the biggest jump races for horses and riders in the world - and it is currently the longest race in the UK. During the three-day event, more than 20 different races will take place.
In the biggest race - the Grand National - horses have to complete two laps of the course, covering four-and-a-half miles and jumping 30 fences. There are 16 different jumps, known as fences, on the National Course.
All 16 are jumped during the first lap but on the second lap of the circuit the horses only jump 14 of them - so that makes 30 fences in total for the race. The fences are different widths and heights, and some of them have different names. One of the most famous fences is called The Chair , which is the tallest on the course at 5 foot 3 inches. The ground on the landing side is higher than the side the horses take off from, and there's also a six-foot ditch that horses have to jump over before the fence.
Fortunately, The Chair is one of the two fences that riders only have to go over once, rather than twice like most of the others. Canal Turn and Becher's Brook are two other extremely difficult fences. Campaigners and animal rights charities have often complained that the Grand National isn't safe for the horses involved and that the race is too dangerous. For the last 30 years, the RSPCA has been involved with discussions, research and reviews that have helped change racing there.
Organisers of the race have made the fences lower and drops shorter to reduce the danger of the race. For instance, the first fence at Aintree's Grand National has been widened, so the horses are less likely to bunch together and fall in the rush to get ahead.
Fences used to have deep drops immediately afterward so the horse landed on a surface lower than where they took off.
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