A Grand National Blog by Donie Saturday

The Grand National 2012: 

The death of a great champion mars  Neptune Collonges Grand National victory

The Grand National ended in the most dramatic of photo finishes but the result was overshadowed by the deaths of two horses, including the favourite.

  

Synchronised above right which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month and was being ridden by Tony McCoy, the champion jockey, had to be put down by vets after falling at the notorious Becher’s Brook.

Another horse, According to Pete, also had to be destroyed after falling later in the race, which was won by Neptune Collonges, ridden by Daryl Jacob.

Another two animals were injured and only 15 of the 40 starters completed the course. A jockey, Noel Fehily, was last night in hospital with a suspected broken ankle after his horse fell.

The deaths came despite major changes this year to improve the safety of the course.

After the deaths of two horses in last year’s race, the organisers said they had made strenuous attempts to address concerns.

At Becher’s Brook itself, the drop on the landing side of the fence had been reduced, with similar adjustments to other fences.

A cooling down area where the runners can be hosed down after crossing the line, as well as huge electric fans that can be switched on in hot conditions were also added.

There have been fatalities before, but the death of a horse that had just won the most prestigious prize in jump racing has raised questions over the future of the event.

Cornelius Lysaght, the BBC’s horse racing correspondent, said afterwards: “There is no doubt this is a black day for the Grand National and for horse racing.

“Nobody should underestimate it – this is very serious for everyone in the racing industry. A big dark cloud hangs over the Grand National. Its future is in a certain amount of doubt.”

Marcus Armytage, The Sunday Telegraph’s racing correspondent and a former National winner, writes in his article today: “Yesterday’s terrible events have plunged the very existence of the Grand National into a peril it has not seen since Aintree was about to be sold for development in the 1970s.”

He adds: “There will be inquiries and reviews into his death and 'bad luck’ is an answer which will not satisfy

“Continual tinkering with the course has not resulted in a safer race and the authorities have made it clear that occasionally changes to the courses can have unintended consequences.

“The most obvious example of that is a lowering of the fences which, in theory, would make it easier, but in fact is counteracted by the fact that the horses go faster.”

David Muir, the RSPCA equine consultant, said: “We need to look at the number of horses, the jumps, the length of the race. It is work in progress. I think we will see real changes without taking away the ethos of the race. We need to reduce the risk levels and have more finishers.

“When you look at it [horses dying], it’s cruel but I don’t think owners and trainers who have horses here do it to see horses die.

“The ethos of the race has to be kept. Moving forward too quickly can cause further problems than leaving it as it is.” He said if the fences were made too easy, it could increase the speed of the race, leading to more deaths.

Prof Tim Morris, the director of equine science and welfare for the British Horseracing Authority, said both horses had been put down by vets after suffering fractured legs.

“In both cases, the horse incurred a fracture to the leg and the humane option was to put the injured horses down,” he said.

“The Grand National undoubtedly represents a challenge to both horse and rider. It has inherent risks, but, working closely with Aintree and other stakeholders, we do all we can to minimise these risks while maintaining the unique character of the race. We will examine closely the circumstances which led to both incidents.”

Brough Scott, the racing commentator and former jockey, said last night: “Synchronised was a very fine and a very brave horse. This is very sad news. But I believe these incidents are unavoidable. They happen. People go mountaineering and are killed. There are risks in competitive sport.”

The race had been filled with drama even before the start as Ruby Walsh was injured in an earlier race and could not ride On His Own.

McCoy was thrown off by Synchronised even before the start when it was apparently spooked by the starting tape.

The horse cantered off and was caught by a racing photographer.

The horse started the race after being checked by a vet, but fell at just the third fence. Synchronised appeared to take that fence – Becher’s Brook – well, but stumbled and then fell.

The horse got up and ran on, but at some point fractured a leg

Jacob, the winning jockey, had to wait three minutes for a photo finish to confirm that he had ridden the 33-1 Neptune Collonges to victory, just ahead of Sunnyhillboy.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know where the line was. It was that close. I just kept going for another 10 yards. But you cannot beat this feeling,” he said.

Walsh’s sister, Katie, rode Seabass, trained by their father, Ted — and only narrowly failed in her attempt to become the first woman ever to win the National. She was leading after the final fence, but was beaten into third place, the highest placing ever achieved by a female jockey in the race.

John Hales, the owner of Neptune Collonges, had refused to enter a runner for the National before now because of what happened to one of his horses during a different race at Aintree back in 1998. One Man crashed through the ninth fence and collapsed on the ground. The horse was put down.

“Can I just say thank you Aintree after what happened a few years ago?” he said yesterday. “You owed me that one. I am so emotional. But Neptune Collonges will never race again. That’s it.”

Close to tears, he admitted that his decision to enter had split opinion in his family.

“Thank God, today we’ve come up trumps.” Mr Hales, a toy manufacturer, said: “When he came over the last fence I thought: 'Thank God, he is home and well.’ The highs and lows of this sport are exhausting.”

The horse’s trainer, Paul Nicholls, had entered 52 horses in the National before but never won. Asked about the fatalities, he said: “We all know before we come here about the risks. The horses get looked after brilliantly but unfortunately these things do happen.”

There was some sadness on screen, too, as the BBC said goodbye to the race it had broadcast for many years. Channel 4 has won the exclusive rights to terrestrial horse racing from next season.

However, the bookmakers were happy, as bets worth £300 million were placed. David Williams, of Ladbrokes said: “The result could scarcely have been any better. Neptune Collonges slipped off most radars and most of the cheers at Aintree came from the bookies.”

TUESDAY ALL IRELAND NEWS BY DONIE

ASSOCIATION OF IRISH PRIESTS 
‘DISTURBED’ BY VATICAN SILENCING

   

The Association of Catholic Priests has accused the Vatican of trying to silence its founding member Fr Tony Flannery and warned the move will exacerbate the perceived “disconnect” between the Irish Church and Rome.

In a statement, three other leaders of the 800-strong association, Fr Brendan Hoban, Fr Sean McDonagh, and Fr PJ Madden, said they were disturbed by the fact that Fr Flannery was being silenced.

It emerged last weekthat the priest’s monthly column with Reality, the Redemptorists’ monthly magazine, had been discontinued on the orders of the Vatican.

The magazine’s editor, Fr Gerard Moloney, is also banned from writing on certain, controversial issues.

“We believe that such an approach, in its individual focus on Fr Flannery and inevitably by implication on the members of the association, is an extremely ill-advised intervention in the present pastoral context in Ireland,” the three priests said in their statement.

“We affirm in the strongest possible terms our confidence in and solidarity with Fr Flannery and we wish to make clear our profound view that this intervention is unfair, unwarranted and unwise.”

Fr Flannery has espoused what are perceived in Rome to be liberal views on contraception, celibacy, and female priests.

“The issues surfaced by the [Association of Catholic Priests] since its foundation less than two years ago and by Tony Flannery as part of the leadership team are not an attack on or a rejection of the fundamental teachings of the Church,” the statement continued.

“Rather they are an important reflection by an association of over 800 Irish priests — who have given long service to the Catholic Church in Ireland — on issues surfacing in parishes all over the country.”

They said some “reactionary fringe groups” had contrived to portray the association as a “small coterie of radical priests with a radical agenda”.

“We have protested vehemently against that unfair depiction. 

“We are and we wish to remain at the very heart of the Church, committed to putting into place the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.”

They said they wished to register their “extreme unease and disquiet at the present development, not least the secrecy surrounding such interventions and the questions about due process and freedom of conscience that such interventions surface”.

“At this critical juncture in our history, the [association] believes that this form of intervention — what Archbishop Diarmuid Martin recently called ‘heresy hunting’ — is of no service to the Irish Catholic Church and may have the unintended effect of exacerbating a growing perception of a significant ‘disconnect’ between the Irish Church and Rome.”

A new report says: there is no major difference in teaching quality between large and small schools 

IN IRELAND

      

There are no major differences in the quality of teaching delivered at large and small schools in Ireland, according to a new report commissioned by the Government.

The investigation based on parent and pupil questionnaires and school inspections found small variations between schools of different sizes, but not to a statistically significant level.

It found that English lessons were rated as marginally better in larger schools, but there was no significant difference in the quality of maths teaching.

Meanwhile, parents of children in larger schools were found to have marginally more positive views on the quality of teaching on offer.

Education minister Ruairí Quinn welcomed the document, saying it would feed in to his Department’s assessment of which schools offered the best value for money. He said:

The report shows that while there are, in some cases, differences between small schools and larger schools, in respect of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, these differences are not directly associated with the size of the school.

He said small schools would continue to be a “major feature of our education landscape”, adding: “I recognise that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities.”

The report click here for (full pdf) divided schools into two groups – those with 49 pupils or less, and those with 50 pupils or more.

Galway runner’s daughter Jaimie sets new   'North Pole record'

      

An Irish endurance runner who travelled the globe running seven marathons in five days has secured another record – his daughter Jaimie (ABOVE RIGHT) has become the youngest person at the North Pole.

Richard Donovan flew eight-year-old Jaimie to brave temperatures of -26C and mark the 10th anniversary of a marathon he organises inside the Arctic.

The youngster has broken a record – by one day – set by the daughter of British adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, Alicia in 1998.

“It was cold and the helicopter was noisy,” Jaimie said after arriving back on dry land. “I loved the North Pole and I want to go back.”

Jaimie and her teddy bear were standing on the ice at 5.30am (GMT) on Sunday.

Donovan, who earlier this year created a new record of seven marathons on seven continents in less than five days, said his daughter took the experience in her stride.

“I decided to bring Jaimie and my wife Caroline this year as it was the 10th year of the race and they were long overdue a trip to see what I’ve been working hard to achieve for the last decade,” he said.

“It was a simple coincidence that she seems to be the youngest to stand up there. I was just proud of her very good behaviour and the fact she took the trip in her stride at her age, embracing the adventure.”

According to Guinness World Records, Alicia Hempleman-Adams, born on November 8 1989, stood at the geographic North Pole aged eight years and 173 days on May 1 1998. She had also flown to the Pole to meet her father.

Based on the same calculations, Mr Donovan’s daughter, born on October 17 2003, beat the record by one day. The Donovan family will have to apply to Guinness World Records to have the feat verified.

No end to the excesses of Ireland’s public sector, 

Judging by today’s report on local authority salaries.

   

Despite calls to cut the number of lucrative senior posts in Ireland’s city and county councils, the gravy train rolls on and no change in the “Status Quo”. 

Beleaguered taxpayers, suffering under the austerity regime, are forking out €1m a year to nearly every council in Ireland to underpin high salaries for senior civil servants. Despite emergency pay cuts, the highest earners remain protected. This makes a mockery of efforts to bring the public sector into line. It is also further proof, if it were needed, that the Croke Park deal has created a cosseted elite. Though an exodus of personnel was seen in the retirement scheme, most councils remain top heavy with senior staff who earn over €100,000 a year. 

Scrutinising the salaries of directors of services, the highest paid positions after county managers, the report found that, from a starting point of €90,453, their pay jumps by annual increments of €4,000 up to €107,000 a year. At present, a litany of local authorities — including Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Wicklow, Kildare, Carlow, Cork, and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown — have five or more service directors, while most other councils have three or four. South Dublin has eight service directors while Cork has 10. 

Surely it is not an essential precondition of local authority service that councils should employ so many highly paid people. It is the result of organisations being given fat pay deals by successive governments. 

An official report on improving local government efficiency is either gathering dust on a ministerial shelf or being ignored. Among other measures, it sought a minimum cut of 20% in the number of service directors, plus a 15% reduction at senior executive level and similar cuts among engineers at senior, executive, and assistant level. 

There are also widespread anomalies in pay levels. For example, the salaries of county librarians peak at €84,036 but the ceiling for Dublin city librarian is €106,900, while Sligo’s chief librarian gets €86,573. Curiously, the post of veterinary inspector reveals glaring inconsistencies. Inexplicably, South Tipperary has four veterinary inspectors, earning from €60,555 to €94,393, whereas most local authorities, including North Tipperary, have only one. 

Against this bewildering backdrop, the suggestion that Ireland needs only four county councils has a lot going for it. A proposal that warrants serious consideration, it envisages having one council for Dublin, another for Munster, a third for Leinster, and the fourth would be Connacht/Ulster. 

No country, especially one with a broken economy, can afford to carry a system riddled with inefficiencies and where highly paid jobs are replicated at enormous cost. There is a compelling case for local authorities to introduce joint administrative areas across neighbouring counties, greater efficiency in procurement, better financial management, more use of shared services, annual reporting to the Oireachtas, and more realistic pay levels.