GRAND NATIONAL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 488, 23 March 1933, Page 2

GRAND NATIONAL

"Canard.")

CHANCES OF COMPETITORS IN WORLD' S BIGGEST STEEPLECHASE. HORSES DRAWN IN SWEEP.

(Notes by

Althougn' it mignt oe tnougnr rnar a review of the prospects of horses engaged in the- Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree, near Liverpool, in England, lies somewhat without the province of the sporting columns of this paper, yet th'e event has assumed a great deal of interest to New ZeZalanders and particularly to Rotorua residents, due to- the fact that out of the 35 acceptors engaged no less than 13, or more than one-third, have been drawn by New Zealanders in the Dantzig Sweepstakes. One, in fact, has been drawn by Mr. Allen Wood, a well-known Rotorua resident, who has the American horse Dusty Foot running for him on Ffiday. The list of horses drawn has already appeared, so a general review of the field will perhaps suffiee. The topweight, Gregalach, has 12.7 to carry and is now in hiis eleventh year, but that is not regarded as a great deterrent, since a horse has to be at least six years old before being eligible and there are several cases of horses of 14 years winning. Perhaps the most notable was Rubio, who was found in the shafts of a butcher's cart, put into training and won the race in his fourteenth year. Gregalach has a win in 1929, a second to Grackle in 1931, but fell when going well at the end of three miles last year. He iis; an Irish-trained lep'per and must have distinct prospects. Coup de Chateau has it against him that he is not a sound horse and though he won the big steeplechase at Longchamp® (he is a French horse who is expected to emulate the doings of Lutteur III) he broke down when contesting the race last year after going about two miles. Golden Miller, so far as the Liverpool course is concerned, has yet to face the fences and when he comes to Valentines and Becker's Brooks, let alone the Canal Turn, will perhaps find that the winning of the Gold Cup over the less arduous Cheltenham country is not sufficient to fit him for the Aintree test. Shaun Goilin, as his name Implies, is an Iriish-bred, Irish-trained gelding, and has a really good record in the race. Writing from mernory, h'e is 12 years old. In 1930 he won the riace carrying 81b less than he has this year but last year he was third to Forbra and Egremont, giving Forbra 251b and Egremont the same. This year he meets. Forbra on 191b better terms and Egremont on 301b. He is a sure jumper, perhaps none better in the race, for he has got round four times and what beats him should be hard. Remus, commonly known as "Uncle," on the turf, has a very consistent record over country. He is only seven years old, but has accounted for several steeplechases under National Hunt rules and is an lexceptionally big strider. Whether he will be able to compass the Aintree country remains to he iseen, ibut the| race has uslMly gone to short-backed types of horsies. Huic Holloa has done the bulk of his . racing in the North of England and has won over 31 miles. He is related to the sire at present in New Zealand. Hunting Song, and is eight yeiars old. Colliery Band, wlfoi has been drawn

over the Aintree course, but In a three-mile steeples event. He has not yet seen out a' further distance, failing biadly in the ibig Cheltenham event. He may find thei distance too far. Heartbreak Hill, if one remembers the pieture, was commencing a run by a Gisborne Maori, has already won four fences from home in the last National (the filnV showed it most clearly) when ishe was badly interfered with by la riderless horse and this slowed her up badly. She was accounted the unlucky horse of the field and will be in demand this year. She has won over four miles and ran sixth last year. Last year'is winner, Forbra, gave a very clean exhibition of fencing and thbugh on the mi'nimum did not .seem to be the sort that weight within reason would stop. A rise of 161b is not a prohibitive one, considering the way, he won and it is probable that he will be one of the most soUght after. Kellsbro' Jack iand Alpine Hut have both the necessary official qualifications of being placed in a three-mile steeple and that is about all there is to their credit, though English flies of December gave some prominenee to the chances of Alpifie Hut. Trouble Maker is the hope of Americia and if he wins there will be some more fractures of the Eighteenth Amendment. He 1s. not badly in with 11.6 and as he has some pretty useful performances to his credit, will go out one of the favourites. It is not altogether in Ms favour that he will be ridden by an American whoi has not yet piloted a horse in la race over the Antree country. Whilst in Egypt in 1914, Jack Anthony, then the most famous amateur steeplechase rider in England, who already had a National to his credit, told "Cianard" that no amount of riding round the Aintree course was sufficient to teach a man the course as It should be ridden in a race such as the Grand National. That he knew wh'at he was talking about is shown by his isubsequent record.

The next four on the list, Coolinagh, Merriment IV, de la Neige, and Trocadero, do not call for a great deal of comment, except that de la Neige comes from the same family las the winner of the 1931 New Zealand Grand National, Snowfall, both having the same grandsire. Next comes Egremont, who-, in his first start last year in the race, ran second to a more experienced jumper like Forbra. Egremont is a natural lepper and with only an eight pound rise should give a good account of ■himself. The film showed th'|t he fenced particularly cleanly at the water jumps and brooks. Holmes may improve on last year when he ran off after having been crossed by a riderless horse approaching Becher's Brook. Of the lower weights, many are in purely on place qualifications and the first four fences see- a weeding out. This, however, hardly applies to Annandale, who has a third to his credit in 1931. He is not, however, a sure conveyance, for in his three starts in 1930, 1931 and 1932, he has faller twice. Ballyhanwood, Irish as his narne implies, must also be given a "roughie's': chance, for he has started five times and finished in fifth place twice, ir 1930 and 1932. An interesting entrs to New Zealanders is Pelorus Jack. He is not a New Zealand-bred horse, hui belongs to a young man who at one time spent some years of his life as a cadet on the Chaytor station a1 Marshlands, near Blenheim. The locally-drawn horse Dusty Foo1 has a reasonable record, for he ran £ good second in the National Hun1 Steeples run over four miles lat Cheltenham in 1932. The course, however is not by any means so hard as Aintree, for the fences are lower and ths ditches, one might almost call then rivers, are narrower. This was probably the reiason that Dusty Foot refused after traversing a round in the Grand National of 1932. Under the English system he will not be "braclceted" with Mr. Whitney'js iothea horse Slater. You Tell has only a placed horse's qualificiation (he was drawn in Mounl Eden), but he is noted as a stayei and is one of the few entrants. in the race who has gxaduated from flal races. Five years or four years age he won a two-mile race in Northumberland. Naturally, in a race over just undei 41 miles (the.exaet distance is 4 miles 856 yards), with a field of 35, manj of whom may refuse, run off, fall, oi otherwise interfere with other horses early position counts for a lot ane also experience in race riding. Tha' is one reason why Trouble Maker is not favoured by "Canard." Also there is the matter of the state o: the going; last year when -Forbn beat Egremont and Shaun Goilin, thi going was atrocious, but the Nationa is never postponed despite the weia ther. According to home flies, thi selections by various writers include Gregalach, Coup de Chateau, Shaui Goilin, Colliery Band, Heartbreak Hill Alpine Hut, Trouble Maker, Forbra Egremont, Annandale, Slater, Ruai and You Tell. From these "Canard' considers Gregalach, Shaun Goilin Forbra, Heartbreaker Hill and Egre mont the most likely, and finall; plumps for the probable favourite as : — SHAUN GOILIN EGREMONT FORBRA from — - Grand National Steeplechase of 4000sovs (including trophy value 200sovs). About fourj miles and 856 yards. Gregalach, 12.7; Coup de Chiapeai 12.2; Golden Miller, 12.2; Shaun Goil 11,11; Colliery Band, 11.9; Heartbrea in, 12.1; (Remus, 11.12; Huic Hollox Hill, 11.9; Forbra, 11.9; Kellsbrc Jack, 11.9; Alpine Hut, 11.6; Troubl Maker, 11.6; Coolindlagh, 11.5; Merr: ment IV, 11.4; Delaneige, 11.3; Trocia edro, 11.2; Egremont,' 11:1'; ' "Balls brach, 11.0; Holmes, 10.13;* Souther Hero, 10.12; Annandale, 10.10; Th« 'ras, 10.10; Apostasy, 10.9; Society 10.8; Slater, 10.7; Master Orangi 10.7; Near East, 10.7; Really Tra ! 10.7; Pelorus Jack, 10.7; Chadd: ; Ford, 10.7; Ruin, 10.7; You Tell, 10.7 . Ballyhanwood, 10.7; 'Diusty Foot, 10.1 , Guiding Light, 10.7.