Two Great Races Open Season

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 4

Two Great Races Open Season

LONDON. The Lincolnshire Handicap itnd the Grand National Steeplechase,, run in the same week in March, have become over the years a tradition with English racing enthusiasts. The first-named eveot. run at the ancient cathedral eity of Lincoln on March 22, is the first big race of the 1981 fiat-racing season, and the Grand National. (March 35) is the climax and the supreme spectacle of the 196AA1 jumping programme. The Lincolnttiire Handicap, altteugji now a modest event compared in value with ! many other flat: races, has retained its popularity for ' 100 years, the first “Lincoln’’ having been, run in 1853 and won by an aged terse called

By JACK PINKNEY Caurire. Jt has been won by many good horses and quite a number of moderate animals, but in its entire history only two have wen the race twice—tbe French terse Ob in 1906 and 1907 and Babur in 1967 and 1968. Muatavcn. successful in 1906. has a <4i»tw» to equal fills feat, hot will find it difficult carrying 2t)lb more. Poor Record Mares have a poor record in the race, and even the mighty Sceptre. one of the greatest of her sex in racing history, was narrowly beaten in 1902 by St. Maclou. Ytt. in the same season, she was successful in tour of the five classic races, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Oaks and the St. Leger. and should also have won the Derby. Run over a straight mile the Lincolnshire Handicap attracts considerable betting in the weeks preceding the race, but wise backers await the result of the draw. for. except on rare occasions, the horse drawing a low number —say. one to eight—has little ehance of success. This is because of a slight bend in the course, shaped rather like a dog's hind leg. Runners on the rails are ■invariably cut off, but for some reason or other the authorities decline to alter the track and eliminate tods handicap. For spectacle and thrills, there is no race in the world to equal the Grand Naitional and no test of endurance and stamina, both for horses and riders alike, can compare with it. Over a course of four miles and 856 yards the contestants have to jump 30 obstacles, toe most formidable being the famous Becher’s Brook, so called after Captain Becher who rode Conrod in the inaugural race in 1339. Becher’s Brook Tn those early days, stone walls and ploughed fields were included in the hazards, and as Conrad attempted to jump out of the deeplyploughed earth, he hit the guard rail of the fence and threw Becher into the 15ft wide ditch on the other side. Becher scrambled under the fence while the rest of the field jumped over him. and so attained immortality by having the obstacle named after him. Becher's Brook, which is jumped twice during the race, consists of a thorn fence 4ft lOin high. 3ft 3 in wide, with a natural

brook on the far side, 3ft gin wide. Since the first race in 1839. appropriately won by a horse named Lottery (for lock. good and bad. has been a dominating factor in this event), the Grand National has been won twice by only six horses. Abd-el-Kadir was successful in 1860 and 1851, The Lamb 1988 and 1871 (the only grey horse ever to win), the Colonel 1889 and 1870. Manifesto 1897 and 1899. Paethlyn 1913 and 1919, and Reynnldstown 1935 and 1938. Manifesto was probably the greatest horse ever to win. He ran eight times between 1895 and 1904—won twice, was third three times, fourth once, and at the advanced age of 16 years completed the course with 1881 b. The greatest riding feat in the Grand National was that of George Stevens, who set up the record, never likely to be beaten, of five successes—winning on Freetrader. Emblem, Emblematic, and twice on The Colonel between the years of 1852 and 1871. George Stevens rode in 15 Nationals and, after achieving this without a faU. it is almost unbelievable that he should have been killed when his pony bolted and threw' him while he was riding from Cheltenham to his home. Tom Olliver. who rode three winners of the Grand National on Gay Lord. Vanguard, and Peter Simple, and also had three seconds, holds the record of having ridden in the race 19 times. Youngest Winner The youngest rider ever to win the “National” was | Bruce Hobbs, who was born ’ on December 28. 1920, and, in March, 1939. just after his seventeenth birthday, was successful on the Americanbred horse. Battleship. Since the beginning of the present century, the “National" has been won by horses bred in Engtand. Ireland, the United States. France and New Zealand, and in 1961. for the first time, has attracted entries from Russia. Merryman 11, the 1960 winner, will probably start favourite in his; attempt to join the exclu-l sive band of dual winners, and his trainer, Neville' Crump, has already saddled! three Grand National winners. Such is the Grand National,l which continues to draw the crowds in thousands from all I over the world to Aintree. Liverpool, to witness the 1 greatest steeplechasing event, of the year. | Betting On Steeples CW.Z.P. A.-Reuter— Copyright) \ LONDON, March 20. Merryman remained fav-' ourite at 10 to 1 at tonight's; callover on the Grand National Steeplechase to be! run next Saturday. The second favourite was' Team Spirit <l4 to 1) and i Badanloch, Cannobie Lee, Hunter’s Breeze and Mr What shared third favouritism at 16 to 1. At the callover for the Lincolnshire Handicap, to be run on Wednesday, Bookmarker. a clear favourite last week, was joined by Pheidippedes and Honeymoor as co-favourites at 12 to 1. Fulshaw Cross, Mustavon and Torullo, were next at 16 to 1.