Woman Owner Wins

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 620, 23 March 1929, Page 1

Woman Owner Wins

GRhGALACH'S GRAND NATIONAL Ten out of 66 Complete Course GREGALACH. an outsider owned by Mrs. ,\I. A. Uennuell. won the Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree vcsterday. Only ten out of the 66 horses which started completed the course. There were many bad spills, but none of the jockeys was seriously hurt. Tt is a remarkable coincidence that women owned the winners of both the Lincolnshire Handicap and the Grand National. i L lilted P .. I. By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and, A .Z, Press Association)

Heed. 10.15. a.m. LONDON, Friday. Witnessed by a huge crowd, the world's greatest steeplechase was run at Aintree to-day. Details: GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE A sweepstake of £IOO each, with £5 000 I added (including a trophy value £200) second horse £7OO. third horse £4oo* fourth horse £lsu. About 4 miles 2 furlongs 1 9*5 yards, over 29 fences For five-year-olds and upwards. Minimum weight lOst. (Closed with l°l entries. >. GREGALACH (Mrs. M. A. Gemmdl), ch g. 73’vs, by My Prince—St. Germaine, 11.4 i EASTER HEKO (J. H. Whitnev, America). ch g, Byrs. by My Prince— Easter Week, 12.7 •> RICHMOND 11 <R. Me Alpine). «yrs. 10.6 3 There were tiG starters. Won by sir. lengths, with the third horse a long w ay back. The going was unsually good. Every horse cleared the first fence. Ten fell at the third. About -2 were standing up the first time round. Orilj' seven passed the judge, but three others were remounted and completed the course. One horse broke its neck. There were several bad spills, but the jockeys were not seriously hurt. At the fourth jump Faster Hero went out alone with Sandy Hook and Richmond 11. following. Faster Tlero, continuing to jump magnificently, led throughout until Canal Brook, the second time round, which he jumped alongside Richmond 11. Sandy Hook, who was then third, fell at the next jump. Faster Hero drew away, but Gregalach was then prominent, coming strongly and jumping extraordinarily well with apparently a good chance of winning. Easter Hero entered the straight first and led at the second last fence. GregaUtch, full of running, challenged und cleared the final jump well ahead. There is a remarkable coincidence in rhe fact of women winning the Lincolnshire and Grand National double. The event was worth about £12,000, of which the w inner takes all but ! £1.250. Under the conditions of the race the j trainer of the winner and the rider receive cups valued respectively at £SO and £25. When the last mail left Fngland a few weeks ago Great Span was the favourite at fourteens. with Billy Barton and Master Billie a couple of points -way. At a score was the next division, comprising Bright’s Boy, Faster Hero, Marguellone and Skrun Prince. A bit longer were Carfax, Grakle, Koko, Lordl, Trump Card and Sprig (the winaar of 1227). In the next bunch were Ballystoekart, Bee h-martin, Easy Virtue. Gay Bog 11., Knight of the Wilderness. Lloydie, Mount Ftna, Rathowen. Ruddy man and The Coyote. The prices about the remainder range from forties upwards, and it was from this lot that the eventual winner was to come. , , Before the Grand National last yeai Easier Hero was sold to the late Gap-

tain A. Loewenstein for £7,000. an i Koko for something in the vicinity of I that figure. One will never forget the * unhappy sequels. Easter Hero I straddled the canal fence and held back a whole army of horses following I , him. Tliere never was such a barrage. 1 Tipperary Tim was one of few that sneaked through. Koko just fell in a crumpled mass and was a lit subject for some days afterwards for massage and embrocation. Yesterday, however. Faster Hero, carrying the maximum’ weight, finished second in the colours or another American. Mr. H. Payne 1 Whitney. Earlier in the present seasun Easter Piero has been contesting hurdle events and generally started at big odds on. Too Fluky It was stated that Tipperary Tim's i win 12 months ago was a fluke, and apparently the handicapper thought so | too. for he was weighted at only 101 b. j above the minimum yesterday. By the last English mail ;l London ! writer comments in interesting fash- ■ ion on the big lield threatened for yes- i terday’s race. “The field this year is big and un- ! wield}*, and it will be said with profound wisdom that three-parts of j them would have no pretensions to ' jump the four and a-half mile course • at Aintree even if they started the j night before. The same thing is said I as a matter of course every year. Tip- ; perary Tim would have been classed among the impossibles a year ago, but you scarcely need reminding that this I poor despised quadruped won because lie happened to be the only one that escaped falling, running out. being baulked, or mishap of any kind. I saw him go out for a steeplechase at Aintree last November, this astonishing fellow’, who had netted a stake of over , £II,OOO for his stupendously lucky j owner, and he did not come back with ; the few survivors. He fell, so I understood. That, surely, was rubbing it in. He left the falling last March to fortyodd others. At the very next opportunity he reminded us that at Aintree i fences are fences, and that it is so 1 easy to avoid standing up. “There will be lots of Tipperary Tims in the new entry, horses about which 3*ou would hesitate before ac- i ” g odds of 200 to 1 just now. tc 1 is. if bookmakers can bo found in these days to lay such fair odds. It only costs a “fiver” to enter a horse for the greatest and richest of all steeplechases, and for that, an owner j can be given a little advertisement I should he be seeking one and also be- I come acquainted with the handicap-! per’s estimate of his horse. It still costs j £IOO to send a horse to the post, and though the extra forfeit stage may have a certain thinning out effect it will make no matter. After all, an owner will argue, why worry about another £2O? The chance of winning over £13,000 for a stake of £3 00 does not come every day. and what* Tipperary Tim was able to do the most hopeless in the entry might also do.