Today was the running of the Grand National... It is quite the tradition here. Similar to the Kentucky Derby, but on a grander scale.
This race is old, old, old, and has been the death of horses and jockeys alike. It is a marathon for the horses... It is 4.5 miles long and includes the jumping of 30 fences... Apparently before humans rights activists got involved, the fences would be as high as 8 feet with drops on the opposite side of the fence causing the height on the opposite side to be 11 or so feet. Quite interesting.
I got involved because one of my teammates invited the office to join a pool on the horses. For 1 pound, you could have a horse randomly selected for you. It was actually cool the way it sort of brought the office together, and taught me a little about British culture. My pound bought me Point Barrow...
In the end, the winner was Comply or Die ridden by Timmy Murphy. It was the first time I actually wanted to watch a horse race. It was interesting to hear about the culture of it all from my co-workers. Quite fun.
As a side note, Don left for a three week stay in the States today, so I am on my own... I drove to Tesco today successfully and even reversed into my spot like most British people do... I was rather proud of myself. :)
Hope your having a good weekend.
3 comments:
Sounds fun, although the old way you described sounds like it might be more interesting to watch.
Too fun! :) Sounds like you had a great time.
Sounds like a fun way to get to know the culture. Next we will hear that you are out stomping the divits. Ha!
We're happy to hear that there are Duck Creek Flockings being hatched across the pond.
Post a Comment