The people's race, supported by the people's beer
John Smith's is the proud sponsor of the Grand National - the UK's number-one bitter; the world's most famous horse race.
Now, speaking personally, I am not a gambling man (I'll bet you didn't know that), but, like millions of Brits and people across the globe, I do enjoy a flutter on Grand National day.
To me, the Grand National is a great British institution - it must be, as it's still televised on what we non-Sky people affectionately call 'normal telly': the good-old BBC.
It's a first signal of spring. You know the order of things: first, you get daffodils; then cuckoos; Easter; blue sky; then, the Grand National. You have a flutter - something my dad did, his dad did - even gran might not bet, but she'll pick a winner, just for fun.
John Smith's Extra Smooth
- tasting notes:
"A smooth, medium-bodied ale, with balanced, light, fruity, caramel and malty notes. The high bitterness is subdued by the smooth, creamy head which develops on dispense."
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 3.8%
Little wonder that the race has been called the People's Race.
It's claimed that over 600 million people watch the Grand National, in more than 140 countries - that's a lot of people. In fact, to put its popularity into perspective, this is more than the FA Cup or Wimbledon.
Add to that the 150,000 spectators expected to watch the 2008 John Smith's Grand National meeting during 3-5 April 2008 - and you are looking at a truly momentous sporting event.
Part of its appeal must lie in the sheer challenge which horse and rider face - just to finish, they jump 16 fences whose height can be over 5' (1.524m), with a 6' (1.83m) ditch before you jump them, then ride around again and jump 14 of them for a second time; by the end of it, horses (and, hopefully, jockeys as well!) have run over 4 miles and 4 furlongs (4.5 miles; 7.242km). No wonder the jockeys sit down!
However, it's also the romance: the Grand National is one of the rare major sporting events, even today, in which amateurs can and do take on the professionals. This applies to both trainers and jockeys.
It's the people's race - which is a big part of the reason why John Smith's got involved as headline sponsor back in 2005, in a deal which will run (no pun intended) until at least 2010.
The 2008 John Smith's People's Race will, once again, offer 10 members of the public the chance to ride in a charity flat race at Aintree, on Grand National day.
The race, run for the first time last year, offers racing enthusiasts a unique opportunity to become a true People's Hero, by riding across the winning line for charity.
Ladbrokes, the UK's leading high-street bookmaker and proud supporter of the John Smith's People's Race, will again be contributing £50,000 to the prize fund. Each of the jockeys taking part in the race will collect £5,000 for his/her chosen charity, while the winner of the John Smith's People's race will collect a huge £50,000 for his/her charity, plus a five-star trip for two to Dubai, for racing's 2009 World Cup.
The 2007 race line-up included an office worker from York, a hospital worker from Carlisle, a farmer from south Wales and a pawnbroker from Bournemouth.
A shortlist of 32 riders was cut to 16, following a gruelling riding and fitness assessment.
These 16 riders were then placed under the care of a leading racehorse trainer for eight weeks' intensive training, in preparation for the big day at Aintree, on Saturday, 5 April, knowing that only 10 participants will be chosen to compete on Grand National day.
A key element of the event is fundraising - with the official charity for this year's event being Sport Relief.
John Smith's is not just a big-occasion supporter, however - it has actively been involved in supporting the sport since 1960. Indeed, today, John Smith's is the biggest commercial sponsor of the sport in the UK. One of the first races which it sponsored was the John Smith's cup at York, now in its 49th season - the country's oldest commercially sponsored race.
From Brighton on the south coast to Perth up in eastern Scotland, there is a total of 90 John Smith's No Nonsense races, spread across 27 courses throughout the UK.
Other sports to link up with John Smith's also reinforce the 'No Nonsense' approach - such as darts and snooker.
THE PEOPLE'S BEER
John Smith's is not one of those beers which keeps changing its image. It's always taken a 'No Nonsense' approach to life - even though it adopted that phrase as a marketing slogan only a few years ago.
The Peter Kay 'Perfect Bombing' ads for John Smith's Extra Smooth emphasise this - Kay himself is a no-nonsense kinda guy, and everything about the highly comical ad rams this message home.
It's in the Guinness Book of Records as the advert with the most awards - 47 in total. The boys at Guinness must have been sick as toucans!
Speaking of old adverts, John Smith's has been advertising on the telly since the 1970s. The 1980s saw the introduction of the iconic Arkwright ads, giving way to Jack Dee in the 1990s.
The original brew, still enormously popular today, was first brewed in the North Yorkshire town of Tadcaster in 1847 - only eight years after a horse called Lottery won the first-ever Grand National.
Aged just 24, brewer John Smith bought a run-down brewhouse which dated from 1758. The rest, as they say, is history, but as other brewers closed, John Smith's survived and prospered.
The Extra Smooth bit of the story began in 1995, bringing consistency to an ale world which, at that time, was in the doldrums.
By 1998, it had become the UK's fourthbiggest beer brand.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Becher's Brook, the sixth fence on the first circuit, was named after Captain Martin Becher. He was unseated from his horse, Conrad, and fell into the ditch, when leading in 1839. The obstacle has borne his name from that day onwards.
• The fence-building programme at Aintree starts approximately a month before the Grand National meeting is run, with spruce sourced and transported from the Lake District. The total annual cost is about £20,000.
Find out more: www.johnsmiths.co.uk
The Competition
Win John Smith's People's Race merchandise
Five Winner's prizes:
Each winner will receive one John Smith's jacket, one pair of John Smith's Grand National cuff links.
For your chance to win this fantastic prize, simply answer the following question, complete your details and click on Submit below. Closing date for entries: 30/5/08
Terms and conditions:Competitions open to all UK residents over the age of 18, excluding employees of the promoter, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected with these competitions. Acceptance of the rules is a condition of entry. No purchase necessary. Entries must be received no later than 30/5/08, except for the Fetzer competition, where entries must be received no later than 1/5/08. Proof of dispatch is not proof of receipt. The winner will be the first correctly answered entry drawn. Where multiple prizes are offered, the winners will be the first relevant number of correct entries drawn. Where the prize requires travelling to or from a venue, transport costs and incidental expenses will be the responsibility of the prize-winner(s), except when detailed otherwise in the prize description. The judge’s decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into. One entry per household. The winner/winners will be notified by post. No cash alternative available. The prize(s) will be delivered to one UK address (where the prize(s) are goods for delivery). The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend this promotion, owing to events arising beyond its control. The promoter is not responsible for any third-party acts or omissions. Promoter: J D Wetherspoon plc, Wetherspoon House, Reeds Crescent, Central Park, Watford, WD24 4QL
