THE GRAND NATIONAL

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 34, 9 August 1934, Page 10

THE GRAND NATIONAL

COUNTRY TO BE CROSSED

EARLIER YEARS COMPARED

'lhe Giand National -country at Kicearton, over which Billy Boy, Callamart, Thin ma, Riotous, Valpcen, and others "will mcasiue stiidc-> next Tuesday, has not much changed during the last 20 years, except that the fences are now on' the whole a shade lower and not quite so thick ihrovjji, to compensate which the blushes aic rathci more tightly packed. It is definitely the hardest steeplechase couibe in the Dominion, and a horse to ha\e an> chance of completing the trip has to be able to jump properly and not attempt to go through the top of the brushes, as he may successfully hazard at so many courses. There are 21 obstacles in all in. the Grand iSfational circuit, four less than in the . Great, Northern and one less than in the"Wellington- Steeplechase, but every, fence has its difficulties.' The race is run over, a- of ZVz miles, on the outside of the track. It is started on the straight five furlongs course, about half a mile from the winning post, and two complete circuits in addition to this stretch make up the full trip. THE PRESENT OBSTACLES. The first obstacle, opposite the carriage paddock, is a brushed rail, 4ft <iin high, 2ft Gin through, and well packed. The stands double is nest, the first fence being a light brush hurdle 4ft 3in high, and the second a similar obstacle about CO yards further on. A few years back these double fences were 9 inches lower than they aid now, but they are the only obstacles whose height has been increased. Hound the turn out of the straight is the fourth obstacle, "Cutts's fence," so named because it is opposite Cutts's stable. This is one of the most famous fences in the: Dominion, and it is a real test of a horse's jumping ability. It stands 4ft Win high (it was formerly sft high), and is 2ft Oin through, made of tightly-packed,, unyielding brush. In the Lincoln Steeples on the final day this is the first fence to be crossed, and it often takes a substantial early toll of the field. The first obstacle in the back stretch is a sod wall 3ft Sin high and 4ft through at the top, with a'ditch ,2ft Oin wide in front. It is situated near the mile post. The ppst-and-rails, 3ft Cm high with a ditch 3ft wide in front, is next. ■ Bothj these ; fences require a clean jump, but; they, are otherwise not very difficult. i Ndar the end of the back. stretch is the Kennels double, to which Billy B<iy in recent years has taken such a dislike in his pre-race schooling. The first of these two obstacles is a low sod wall, po'sWudrails (3ft Biri high), and broom fence,(lft 3in through) combined, the height of^the broom being 4ft Bin. In- front of they sod wall is a ditch 4ft wide. The second fence is not so formidable, being a , poat-and-rails' and broom combined 3ft 10m/ high, but as it is only 3J yards from tlae first fence it often enough brings an unbalanced horse to grief. These two obstacles together form probably the stiffest test in, the circuit. " . . ■ ■ The next (ninth) obstacle is a ?sod wall situated just past the old five,' furlongs post, and it too takes its toll during most meetings, one of the horses' in recent years to have met his end 'there being the Grand National winner Snowfall in the Lincoln two years ago. It is a very similar jump now to the aarlier sod wall, being, 3ft 'B&in high and 4ft- through at the top,, with a ditch 2ft 6in wide in front. ' '.i The final fence on the first completed circuit, is a big brtish just before the horses turn into the straight. It is 4ft 9in high and 2ffc Dhi through, and in the past it has claimed many victims, probably more even than Cutts's. An explanation for this rnaj* be that there is not such a good run to it, and also that when horses reach it tbje second time they are tiring. This circuit has than to be negotiated a second time (in tli Grau.d National), and-the additional fence making up the 21 is the brush opposite the carriage paddock, which is thus jumped three times in all. The final "run to the po6t is just over a furlong. Except -for the elight variation in the size of tike Obstacles th. course has remained unchanged for over 20 years. Up till that time there was a brush along the back instead of the post-and-rails, and the post-arid-rails Was at the entrance to the straight; but it was considered an improvemehtto transpose these two fences. VETERAN'S RECOLLECTION. Many years ago, however, there was quite a different lay-out of the course, and.'. the' veteran trainer G. Murray Aynsley is oine of those who can still remember tb'irt other set of fences. They wera in existence when he was a prominent ainateiir. rider, and he recently explained them to a southern writer. I Starting^ as is now the case, near "the half-mile 'post, up the straight track, he said, the } first fence was a sod wall, witn a rail on top and a ditch in front Then came a.plain,sod wall, with.a small ditch m front.' The ditches in those days, he recalled, were real ditches. In front of the stand there was a double. The first leg was 4ft 4in of timber, lightly brushed on top, and the second leg was 4ft of stiff timber, again lightly brushed. Cutbs's fence, which then had a big ditch in front, was a 6od wall with gorse growin"- on it. There were bare posts for the bottom of the ditch, with two vails on them, in front of the gorse. Near the mile post was a sod wall, called the Hog Back, and a furlong further on a hiijh gorse fence with a rail in front. At the Kennels double there was a wide ditch in front of the first fence, otherwise the double was similar to its pic-, sent description. Following this was a plain post-and-rail, a., very stiff tence. •Nest came a fence known as Hercules, so jjamed because a horse of that name broke his leg at the fence. -~ In still" earlier days the horses raced down the middle of the course, coming in at the top and going out again to jump Cutta's fence. At 'that' period, in iront of the stand, there was a stone wall made of rocks from the Port Hills. A mare named Blue Bell' split" a stifle on this fence, and it was removed, after being in existence only a year or two.. ; The veteran said he was a little hazy about the fences in the middle, though he remembered that they raced down, that way once or twice.