THE NATIONAL

HOW GREGALACII WON

Although the huge field o» 66 went to the post for this year's Graud National Steeplechase at Aintree, the I critics appear to agree that the field was not unwieldy after all, and all horses cleared the first fence safely. There were very few serious accidents in the race, considering the size of the field. No jockey was seriously hurt. iStort, however, broke a leg, and had to be destroyed. The following details of the race are clipped from London "Sporting Life." Mrs. Gemmell gave 5000 guineas tor the winner _ Gregalach when Mr. T. K. Laidlaw retired from ownership two years ago, j on account of ill-health, and the Grand National is the first race the horse has won in her colours. He was, however, successful over the Liverpool country iv March, 1927, when he won the Stanley Steeplechase. He would have had more followers for the big race yesterday had [ he not fallen in a 'chase at Sandown a little over a week ago. Mrs. Geinmell and her husband have owned horses for some years. At one time she trained with Captain Whitaker at St. Giles, and her horses went into T: Leader s stable only last year The Leaders have now won the "National three times out of the last half a dozen years, with Jack Homer, Sprig, and Gregalach. Considering bis lack of experience—he has been riding in public less than a I couple of years—R. Everett rode a wonderfully brainy race on Gregalach. He took his mount the nearest way round aud held him together nicely to meet his JT P\ The rideF .of Easter Hero, on the otlier hand, was giving the favourite plenty ol rein—a pleasing contrast in styles. STORY OF THE RACE. The Grand National broke well-nHi every record connected with the world's greatest steeplechase, and provided visitors to Aintree with a contest packed with thrills, culminating in a result as surprising as that of the '-Lincoln." The field stil?,'H ty' SIXf Tt S Ule b'- Bgest since lhe institution of the race in 1839, while- the winner was a rank outsider, Grc-alach whose starting price was at throe iV.resi and whose time was not very far off the record Like the -Lincoln- w nne • Grcgalnch is owned by ;. woman in,! to I rCCOt'II 'ig' U'° of 10 '000

-Time w-;, s no necessity to start the horses 111 two Hues, as there w.s ruo n enough with ouc long strand of the I, ing sate stretching rWacrW the trwk It was an excellent dispatch, BallvW Grati"wiih Cl FM/" llS' Tnimi> Cart/and Ardeen came down at the next, Here L.ister Hero pulled his way to (lie front commenced when Uncle Ben fell and in the mix-up Cloringo, Lloydie, T)arrn™ ami Mount Etna were involved. The 1 v Bllie lT Cd , 0M , a tai} m hOl-- Mr ail he ius also brought down, 1,, 1t l,i s fiddle T, IC, kly -rVaUltcd bilck int» »" uilly iiaiton, the trio r.-uing well V1..-,,----of tTi-eßulach and Beech Martin. Then alter a long interval, came X.C.8.. Bi4 it's Boy Great Span, and Lordi. Ilarewood Fleet l'nnce, and Kampant nil oame dow ,'

AT CANAL TURN FENCE. Twenty-nine horses went to the Canal turn lencc, but some dozen of then, we ■« knocked out by a loose hor.se, who first caused Bright* Boy to come down, ad Billy Barton to fall over another loose horse. Lordi fell here, while another riderless animal caused Sprig to stop. Misi Balscadden, Mcrnvale 11., and Great Span met with similar trouble. Kaster Hero galloping well within himself, still carried on the running trom Sandy Hook. Grewlach then went on lirtst, in front of Boec - Martin ..Richmond 11., X.C.8., uucTMay King. At the first fence ou to t " race course, K.C.B when well up with the ieadeis turned over, and at the water taster Hero jumped j,,st clear of Fandy [look, Beech-Martin, Grakle, May X j Cwl'T' } Li,GK^h, Toy' Bellf Uud iivst Home. Sultan of Waken Knight ol the Wilderness, with DD B some way behind. Ardoon's Trite havinu "•^ heavily at tho fence before c V '■ I.pperary Tnn shot his jockey out star r ft Bo* *lwk HCr°« 'ho obhiaclc. ihc remounted Great Snan Lord,, and Blight's Boy were pulled up m con.seo,,ence of being baulked' by Tipper? .11 y lim. Kaster Hero and Sandy Hook HnNn/if P"tlnFi tle Icud" both ™"X splendidly am) being several lengths ahead of Beech-Martin and Grnkle. while Gregalach fencing cleverly all the while was gradually closing up

THEN THERE WERE NINETEEN. . Ot those left standing up, o f whom tllere were now nineteen, Sultan of Wicken was cornet TaU ¥, thf "? cond fence ™ «ie torn tij Then Beech-Martin came down of t w-n befol'° Bechell's. while Knight ot the Wilderness was baulked, and ca me to grief at Becher's. Sandy Hook was going almost as well as Euster Hero nt ValcStines but lei! at the next obstacle. This ftnt.frf"' 0 Il b(J lr' t tlllec le"8«'S i» irpiit ot hichmond 11. and Grecalaeh Hichmond II made a mistake threepences oZIT C ' where, Gl-e&ilach raced up and joined the pacemaker. Once on the racecourse for the final burst the Newmarkettiamed horse joined Easter Hero. and shoity atterw/uds headed him. He had on 1> to jump the last fence without making v mistake to win, as Kast.-r Hero appealed to have had enough Grunahrh stood back, and cleared Hie (iual obstacle well and went on to triumph decisively by six lengths. Richmond U., who ran a good race throughout save for two mistakes, was a bad third. Melleray's Belle, three lengths away, was fourth, and then, after a gap of jive lengths, came May King. Grakle, a dozen lengths off, was sixth, and UD.B., a long way further off. seventh, men some time afterwards, came Delarue and Ivilbairn, eighth and ninth, and f'amperdown, the only other to finish. Kuddyman and Trump Ca.-d were ajiongst others to fall. Time, Omin 47 2-ssec. COMMENT ON THE RACE. H was a great "National," and probably one of the best performances in the history of the race was put up by the beaten Easter Hero. Some people might think that over much use was made of him, but I would not altogether agree with such view, writes "Augur," also in the exchange named. From the beginning of his 'chasing career Easter }fero has been happiest when making his own running, nnd yesterday he was happy enough until in the last, half-mile Giegalach, with his 171b pull iv the weights, began to go the stronger. One is always pleased to see the horse

with the heaviest load on his back doing as well as did Easter Hero yesterday, and possibly had no rain fallen as during the previous twenty-four hours, leaving much more than the print of the hoof, the favourite would have kept his lead to the finish. And yet I would not be nearly positive ou the point, it being quite likely that on any kind of surface the result wouid have been the same. I must confess to having never mentioned Gregalach's name iv the final summing up, although, as readers laay be aware, he was inciaded in my winter list of horses to follow. I looked upon him, however as being mure of the smart threemiler, and I fancy that such was the stable estimate of him when he and Grakle were at Hednesford two seasons back. It now conies about that Gregalaeh, in a manner of speaking, beat two trainers, for while Coulthwaite, when he had the horse in his charge, expected him to be brilliant at middle distances, Leade y merely regarded him as one which might go well in case anything happened to Brigkt's Boy and Mount Etna. And so is the be6t of judgment liable to be over-ridden by pure ill-luck. Gregalach showed speed, but also stamina, in the latter respect proving better than his one-time stable companion who was made to look a plodder by comparison.