The BBC Grand National 2003 - Monty's Pass

......the 10 year old Monty's Pass ridden by Barry Geraghty wins the 2003 renewal from the 2001 Welsh National winner Supreme Glory....with the Ginger McCain trained Amberleigh House in third....

[@tommyohare6855]

R.I.P. to Monty's pass who died yesterday at the age of 29

[@G-LFC]

Monty won me some going out money that night what a lad!

[@leehutchinson6219]

One of the last proper grand nationals

[@michaeljohnson5365]

Montys Pass still alive and well at 27

[@Fustrien-Du-Paon]

5:11 What a shot of Red Striker there.

[@oconnellsfarm811]

So great race

[@keironstoneman6938]

Ah 2003. The year the sun didn't stop shining.

[@artfuldodger2623]

Big race Barry does it again.

[@gazowenowen250]

Easy winner backed him and dear old amberleigh house

[@KarlBainbridge]

Gaz Owen Owen Same for me. Also had One for Arthur in 2017 too.

[@shaunspadah5790]

at least the 03 race resembles a national, the fences are there to be jumped and the field is strung out, the changes made in 13 , they went too far trying to create there perfect risk free national and now we have a karaoke national, the end of a major sporting event

[@dawnkeir549]

Prefer to have horses save not a lot of fatalies recently

[@rasco1521]

The race has never had more class! And if it wasn't competitive and like the nationals of old, explain to me why all the winners since the changes have been made, are all big prices!?.

[@dominicspiller481]

The horses are safer now, it's a better race today because class horses run and win

[@chatham43]

...throwing the baby out with the bathwater...a perfect illustration of that saying...

[@jonathandavies3288]

Anybody who witnessed Dark Ivy landing headfirst at Benchers and breaking his neck, would support the modifications! I guess these are the same people who would argue that motor racing has lost its appeal now that no longer have drivers dying in a fireball like they did in the 1960s

[@monty3524368]

My father's namesake, and yes - he did bet a tenner on him 🐎

[@scottfraser2623]

John Hanmers last National commentating. He retired after this race because there was an outcry because he missed the fallers at the 19th. He mentioned Ad Hoc falling later on. He was a good commentator who didn't deserve the criticism from the armchair experts.

[@chatham43]

...one of the best...first was in 72 I think...

[@williamnightingale2285]

His first call in the National was 1973, the 2003 race was due to be his last anyway. He was an 'old school' commentator who wherever possible would follow the runners rather than use the tv pictures that they all use today.

[@tullymurrytoff1497]

John Hanmer covered the National for BBC TV from 1972 until 2003. As has been said like the old brigade of commentators he used the binoculars for the majority of his GN calls. He did not completely disappear, he was Jim Mcgraths spotter for a good number of years after he gave up both his TV and Course commentating roles. Im sure I read recently he celebrated his 80th Birthday.

[@christaylor5668]

Been ruined by the fences made to easy..

[@chatham43]

....its a total embarrassment watching today...the Irish national has stiffer fences....

[@gazowen7310]

The ground beat supreme glory

[@johnshort5003]

Initially I thought the changes were necessary to prevent deaths but this year three horses died anyway. All horses are capable of jumping the Aintree fences, the problem is that they make mistakes. Horses can fall and die at hurdles. It has been argued that the bigger fences make them more careful (it's a hypothesis) but ultimately the problem seems to be with the inconsistency of horses not the fences and so can never be remedied. So now we have a travesty of a race and horses still dying.

[@ianbennett1491]

I completely agree with all you've said. They have made a great spectacle of a race into just an ordinary event.You cannot compare a horse winning the race today with the likes of Red Rum.

[@johnshort5003]

@@MsVanorak Why do they go too fast at the first fence? Doesn't happen in other races. Speed kills.

[@MsVanorak]

@@johnshort5003 to get a good position they say