Birmingham's annual Pantomine Horse Grand National
Nov 23 2009 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail
IT was a horse race with a difference – there wasn’t a real horse in sight.
But it didn’t stop a huge and festive-spirited crowd horsing at Birmingham’s annual pantomime horse Grand National.
The turf of Aintree was replaced by the tarmac of Broad Street as competitors jostled for the inside line at the charity chase.
The 600-yard dash was made more gruelling by towering fences of straw as novices lined up next to champion hurdlers for the seventh annual race.
Second-time runner Nicki Mills, aged 28, from Walsall, cantered home 40 lengths clear in the “fillies” race.
“I came second last year but I wanted to come back and do it again,” said the quantity surveyor.
“It’s great fun and everybody gets involved to have a laugh and raise money for charity.”
The men’s race was more even with 36-year-old James Bamber, from Devon, edging out the competition by a nose.
Father and son Bullring Market traders Paul and Tom Larkin, from Sheldon, took part. Tom, aged 16, said: “We’re here to represent the markets and enjoy ourselves while raising money for good causes.”
The event is expected to raise about £3,000 for Lord Mayor Coun Michael Wilkes’ designated charities, Pancreatic Cancer Research, The Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships, homelessness charity St Basils, and Women Acting In Today’s Society (WAITS).
