Grand National winner proves owner wrong

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 34

Grand National winner proves owner wrong

NZPA-Reuter Liverpool Last Suspect revived memories of the great Arkle when he sprang a 50-1 surprise to win the Grand National steeplechase at Aintree on Saturday. However it was only at the insistance of his Welsh jockey, Hwyel Davies, that the horse’s trainer, Tim Forester, and the owner Anne, Duchess of Westminster, let the horse run. Davies’s faith was rewarded when Last Suspect, after being prominent for much of the way, caught the 12-1 chance, Mr Snugfit, ridden by Phil Tuck, in the last 90 metres in one of the most exciting finishes in years. Last Suspect won by one and half lengths, with the gallant Corbiere, the winner in 1983 and third last year, three lengths away, third again. His owner received £ 82,920 ($NZ215,592) for the success.

In his previous race Last Suspect, a temperamental horse to train, pulled himself up in a race. That failed to deter Davies, although Forester and the Duchess of Westminster thought it was not worth letting Last Suspect run in Saturday’s race. Forester said: “Neither the Duchess nor I wanted to enter him but Hwyel advised us to and we decided to let him take a chance."

The Duchess, whose Arkle won the Gold Cup three times in the 1960 s and was widely regarded as the best steeplechaser this century, joked: “I said to Hwyel that it was his neck.”

Turning into the straight it seemed that Corbiere, which carried the top weight, would repeat his 1983 victoiy. But, as his trainer, Jenny Pitman, feared, the load began to tell and it was one of the bottom weights, Mr Snugfit, which took up the running between the last two fences. Just as it seemed that Mr Snugfit which has never fallen, might give Tuck his first winning National in five attempts, Last Suspect stormed up alongside. In a dramatic tussle to' the line, the 11-year-old gradually got the upper hand over the Yorkshire-

trained Mr Snugfit, with a 40,000 strong crowd urging two courageous animals home.

Tuck, who won last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup on Burrough Hill Lad, said: “Now I know how Richard Pitman felt on Crisp when Red Rum beat him. But I take nothing away from the winner. It was a marvellous race.”

In 1973 when Red Rum won the first of his three Nationals, Crisp looked a certain victor until the very last strides under Pitman and finished second to Red Rum.

Last Suspect was the Duchess’s third runner in the National. In spite of Arkle’s three Gold Cups, her previous best at Aintree was when one of her runners got to the second fence.

In Davies’s three previous attempts over the 30 obstacles, he failed to get round.

Forester has a distinguished training record in the race. He won it in 1972 with Well To Do and in 1980 with Ben Nevis. The race took its usual toll, with only 11 of the 40 runners finishing. On the first circuit, an Irish-trained outsider, Dudie, led the way from Glenfox and Rupertino, with Corbiere close up in fourth and the 13-2 joint favourite, Greasepaint, sixth. Half-way round the second circuit it was clear Dudie was tiring and it was no suprise when he fell at the nineteenth fence.

With Last Suspect still prominent, the other joint favourite, West Tip, ridden by Richard Dunwoody, took up the running with Rupertino, Corbiere and Greasepoint in close attendance.

However, just as West Tip looked as if he might justify his odds, he fell at the famous Becher’s Brook to leave Corbiere in front.

It seemed a repeat of 1983 was on the cards, but with Last Suspect and Mr Snugfit both weighted more favourably than Corbiere it was also clear the top weight had a tough task. Greasepaint, second for the last two years, was fourth,