Sport
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height and width . Runners and riders must navigate two circuits of the course ( missing out fences 15 & 16 on the second circuit ) before turning for the home straight which is the longest runin of any UK racecourse .
The Grand National is the longest race in the UK but it ’ s the difficulty of the fences that provide the real challenge to horse and rider . Just a mention of the fences Becher ’ s Brook , The Chair and the Canal Turn make a jockey ’ s blood run cold .
Often called the ‘ Original Extreme Sport ’ steeplechase races originated in Ireland . Legend has it that the first race was between Cornelius O ’ Callaghan and Edmund Blake as they raced from Buttevant Church to St . Leger Church , or from steeple to steeple , hence the term steeplechase . Those original cross country races are now replicated on racecourses across England and Ireland . However , the Aintree course is arguably the toughest of all . Jockeys no longer have to jump a stone wall at Aintree or cross the ploughed field , but the water jumps , brooks and ditches still feature on many of its fences .
Few races can claim to have famous fences , maybe with the exception of the infamous ‘ Taxis ’ fence in the Velká Pardubická , no other race can rival the Grand National for fearsome jumps .
Of the 16 fences which make up the National course six of the jumps have become famous in their own right . Becher ’ s Brook , Valentines ’ Brook , The Chair , Canal Turn and Foinavon are names which are known throughout the world . These fences are woven into the very fabric of the Grand National race .
SATURDAY 16 – MAY 2 World Snooker Championship , Crucible Theatre , Sheffield
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