TOPWEIGHT WINNERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 12, 14 July 1938, Page 13

TOPWEIGHT WINNERS

GRAND NATIONALS

SOMETIMES IN STEEPLES

Since the war years five horses who have been weighted oh top for th£ Grand National Steeplechase hav,e been successful. As there have been eighteen contests in the period this is rather a good percentage. The quintet who so scorned their assessment were Coalrdon (12.7 in 1921), Oakleig't (12.0 in 1923), Aurora Borealis (11.1 in 1930), Billy Boy (Ilia 1932), and Valpeen (11.13 in. 1935). When Coalition won his first Grand National in 1920 under 11.13 he did not have pride of place in the weights, and he bore only No, 4 saddle cloth on the day. The t'iree horses abov-. him that year were Lochella U2.7\, Master Strowan (12.5), and waimai (12.5), all previous winners, and the three of them started. Lochella. fell, Master Strowan ran off, and .Waimai was unplaced. Third place went to Oakleigh. who did not run the next year, but was successful in the following two years. In Coalition's second victory he might have been a shade lucky, for old Waimai, then twelve years old and dropped to 10.7, led over the last fence but slipped on landing. fl •In Aurora Bore.alis's year the field, as indicated by the top weight, was a poor one. Mangarii, who was second top with 10.12, did not run and Omeo, third top with 10.11, finished third Horses who have been handicapped above 11.0 since 1930 have been:— 1930—Aurora Borealts 11.1 (next weljrht. 1031—Wmshlre. 11.5 "(next weight, Claremore, 1032—Billy' Boy, lfl2 (next weight, Wiltshire, 1933 —Biily Boy, 12.5; Makeup, 12.1, Caltamart, 12.1; Luna Lux 11.2. 1934—8i11y Boy, 11.13 (next weight. Makeup, 1935—Valpeen, 11.13 j Tudor, 11.8; Billy Boy, . 11.5; Moteus, 11.3. ■ ■ ■ ■ 1936—Valpeen, 12.8; Billy. Boy, H-8. 1937—Tudor, 11.11 (next weight, Eoyal Llmond, IW-). '"''■■' 1838—Jolly Beggar, 11.8; CUrion Call, 11.1; Nocturnus, 11.0; Bonnie Bollox, 11.0; Brlnatlon, 11.0. Until 1913 there was no maximum weight in the conditions for the Grand National, and occasionally horses were weighted over 13.0, and besides were liable to fixed penalties, up to 71b for norses weighted above 11.0. In 1907, for instance, Kiatere, who had won the Great Northern Steeples under 12.13 in June, carried 13.3 into third place behind Eclair and Needlework in the Grand National. The maximumweight condition was 12.7 when first incorporated, and it has remained such ever since. The only horse to have won with the maximum has been Coalition.