KORAL PICKED TO WIN GRAND NATIONAL

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30822, 6 August 1965, Page 4

KORAL PICKED TO WIN GRAND NATIONAL

W. Hillis Likely To Improve Steeples Record By nearly every method of re ckoning Koral must appeal as the winner of the Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton tomorrow.

Koral is the youngest in the field, but it will be an alliance of youth and experience when he goes into tomorrow’s race in the hands of his Riverton trainer, W. J. Hillis. Koral will be having only his second start over the Riccarton fences, but Hillis has ridden in more steeplechases there than he cares to remember. It will be Hillis’s twelfth Grand National Steeples tomorrow.

The Hillis record, all on Hazlett-owned horses, is impressive. He started as a lad in 1948 by riding Spanish Main into second place behind Dumbo. His complete record in 11 Grand National rides is two wins, three seconds and one third. The winners were Capet in 1959 and Jahn O’Groats last year. Capet succeeded in his third of six attempts on the Grand National. In one of his earlier bids he had come up against Spring Fair, which had an unbeatable combination of speed and jumping qualities. There are no Spring Fair’s for Koral to beat this year. Waikato Hope But there could be stout opposition from the little Waikato mare, Prettypeen, which should be fitter and better in every way than when she ran fourth in the Homeby Steeplechase last Saturday. Prettypeen has good speed and stamina, and if her jumping does not land ner in trouble she should be assured of one of the places. Yeti’s Homeby form was all wrong; and a blood disorder almost certainly accounted for it. The trouble has responded quickly to treatment and the Foxton chestnut has gone about his training work this week with much enthusiasm. Flying Swift was upsides with Koral in the lead until he made a bad jump about six furlongs from home in th* Homeby. He then faded

out without a flicker erf resistance. It was not a good Grand National trial, but that one mistake could have cost him a chance of running Koral fairly close.

Safe Jumper

John's Mistake, the Homeby third, is hardly likely to give Koral weight and a beating, but Cinnaman came up with a good National trial with his second last week. He could not find the pace to make a run at Koral in the last half-mile, but his jumping was correct and he showed no signs of weakening He will be ridden by J. H. Hely, whose Riccarton record is good. Of the others below the favourite in the weights, Erewhon and Count Lin could be the best.

Erewhon split No Offence and Golden Defaulter in the 1963 Grand National. He had the only race fall of his career in the Homeby Steeples last Saturday, but if that experience has not unnerved him he might battle on better than most at the end of three miles and a half. Erewhon does not eat well on campaigns away from his home district. ‘‘He will be the leanest-looking horse in the field, but I have never known him to work better than he has this week, so I'm living in hopes,” said Erewhon’s part-owner, Mr E. H. Symes, yesterday. ’ Count Lin has earned another chance in a weak year if only for his thirds in the Grand National and the Homeby last year.