Without wishing to be too Grinch-y, here are a few reasons why 17 April may not be workable for the Aintree showpiece
There was a rare show of unity between trainers and bookmakers on Tuesday as leading names including Nigel Twiston-Davies and Evan Williams lent their support to an idea floated by the betting industry that this year’s Grand National should be put back a week to 17 April, five days after betting shops are due to re-open in England.
And it is not, on the face of it, a bad idea at all. Online betting is all very well, but when it comes to the National, walking out of a shop clutching a slip which could turn into hard cash later in the day is very much part of the fun. The boost in turnover – and therefore in revenue for an industry that has been behind closed doors since last March – could be immense. As Twiston-Davies put it in the Racing Post: “It can’t do any harm at all, can it?”
Related: Talking Horses: Willie Mullins happy with Festival team but Saint Roi out
Tips by Greg Wood
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