Fairytale ending to 1981 National story

Press, 6 April 1981, Page 23

Fairytale ending to 1981 National story

NZPA Liverpool There was a fairytale ending to the Grand National Steeplechase run at Aintree on Saturday. The 11-year-old Aldaniti. the winner, has broken down twice during his career and has missed three seasons through injury, and his jockey, the aptly named Bob Champion, was told a year ago that by Grand National time this year, he would be dead from cancer. The New Zealand-bred Royal Mail hung on for third. The 11-year-old Ballyroyal — Lency gelding crossed the line six lengths behind the winner and two lengths from Spartan Missile (second) to become only the third New Zealand horse ever to finish the gruelling four and a half mile race, and the first to be placed gince Moifaa won in 1904. Ridden close to the rails throughout by Philip Black-1 er, Royal Mail had simply, run out of steam at the end. Recovering from a bad mistake two fences from home, he landed second to Aldaniti after the last of the 30 daunting fences but was passed by the eight-to-one favourite Spartan Missile, as he struggled home. Stewards ordered a photo to decide between the New Zealander and fourth-placed Three To One, but there was never anv doubt Royal Mail had held off the challenge. Blacker praised his mount afterwards. “I thought he couldn’t have run a better race,” he said. “I though I had a little bit left going over the second to last but he made a little bit of a mistake, there and from then on we were never going to win. “I’d been trying to do a little for the running but when we hit the fence it just took the staffing out of him,” Blacker said. . • The race attracted the biggest field for some years but only 12 of the 39 starters finished. Behind them, among the casualties, were the other three New Zealand-bred challengers, Royal Stuart and Chumson and So and So. The 1981 National, richestever with prize money of £65,000 ($NZ158,600), lacked some of the drama and unpredictability' which has made it so famous. The first three horses were second favourite, favourite and fourth favourite and at 10-to-one Aldaniti' was the lowest-priced winner since the great Red Rum.

Chumson took his flamboyant Irish amateur rider, Aidan O’Connel, safely over the first three fences but fell at the fourth. Royal Stuart, a stablemate of Royal Mail’s at Stan Mellor’s Berkshire stables and owned along with him by a Washington D.C. businessman. Mr John Begg, lasted most of the distance before falling at the twentieth fence early in the second circuit.

Fourth and last in the 1980 national, when he was partnered by Blacker. Royal Stuart (Ballyroyal-Shamayra) was right up among the leaders for much of the race, running second at The Chair to Aldaniti and briefly taking the lead over the water jump just before the start of the second lap. But he made a mistake at the nineteenth with its frightening ditch and although he recovered, went 'down at the next jump.

Royal Mail, winner of the Whitbread Gold Cup last year, started the. day at odds of 10-to-one but eased by the start to 16-to-one.

For most of the race he was out of sight among the second group. He appeared briefly in third place at the Canal Turn but dropped back again. The next time the New Zealander was in contention was at the Canal Turn the second time when he popped up again in second place, a place which he maintained. Five from home he was three lengths behind Aldaniti and kept on strongly after almost

I falling at the second to last fence. It was the third successive year that New Zealand-bred horses have mounted a challenge for the Grand National I after a gap of 75 years—and 'each year they have improved. The first 12 placings were: Aldaniti 1, Spartan Missile 2, Royal Mail 3, Three To One 4, Senator Macluacury, 5, Royal Exile 6, Rubstic 7, Coolishall 8, Rathlek 9, So 10. Sebastian V 11, Cheers 12.