LIVERPOOL CUP

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 726, 27 July 1929, Page 13

LIVERPOOL CUP

KNIGHT OF THE GRAIL’S VICTORY WIN FOR POPULAR SPORTSMAN (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) Reed. 11 a.m. LONDON, Friday. At the Liverpool summer meeting, third day, the principal race resulted as follows: LIVERPOOL CUP A sweepstake of £2O each, with £1,400 added; 1 mile 2 fur 170yds. Closed with 41 entries. fl KNIGHT OF THE GRAIL (Sol. Joel), b h, by Prince Galahad—Magical Music, syrs l GREAT SCOTT (Mrs. C. Beatty), ch c, by Grand Parade—Dalkeith, , 3yrs 2 HARTFORD (A. Cox), b h, by Swynford—My Dear, 4yrs 3 Ten started. Won by four lengths, a short head separating second and third.

Reviewing Mr. Solly Joel’s representatives engaged in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot last month (incidentally none of them got into a place in that race) a “Sporting Life” writer had the following comments to pass upon Knight of the Grail: It will be interesting to observe the weight that is given Knight of the Grail in the Royal Hunt Cup, who is a recent addition to Earl’s team.

There was a time when the “Knight” promised to develop into a good class handicapper, even if nothing more, but it is the best part of two years since he was last hailed as a winner, and in the meanwhile 18 failures have been debited against him. And yet, in more than one race, he has run sufficiently well to encourage hopes of eventual success. It was not a bad show of his in the Victoria Cup, the last event in which he took part. He ran on gamely to secure third place, though Royal Minstrel (winner of the valuable Eclipse Stakes last week) had the opposition so securely nailed down that there was some easing, so that the display may have flattered him to an extent. Shortly before this Knight of the Grail had finished close up with the placed horses in the “City,” so that we have evidence that he still possesses some racing ability.

As he is now five years of age it may be too much to expect him to improve a lot; but since he was acquired by Mr. Joel he has been kept on the move assisting in the Derby preparation of Kopi, so that he should be in trim for any immediate engagement he may be called upon to meet. It should not be overlooked, either, that he was third in last year’s Hunt Cup. Then, as a three-year-old, he ran Sundry to a head over the identical 7 furlongs 166 yards, while in his juvenile days he carried off the Coventry Stakes. Apparently Ascot is Knight of the Grail’s spiritual home—or one of them: On top of this must be placed the almost uncanny luck of Mr. Joel in his purchases of “ready-made” racehorses, as, for instance, the aforesaid Long Set, Polymelus, and Pons Asinorum, not forgotting Fohanaun. Mr. Joel’s third Hunt Cup nomination (the first was Fohanaun) is Trelawny, who carried full stable confidence in the corresponding event last summer, when he was a respectable fifth.

The racing record of Trelawny, who is the same age as Knight of the Grail, bears some resemblance to that of the latter, inasmuch as he struck a bare patch as a four-year-old, though his failures were fewer in number than in the case of the former Tilshead horse, while he has won one of his four races this year.