THE LIVERPOOL GRAND NATIONAL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 994, 25 March 1909, Page 6

THE LIVERPOOL GRAND NATIONAL.

The Liverpool Grand National, the great event of the winter in England, takes place to-morrow. Writing of it the London correspondent of the “Australasian” says:—in common with the big flat race handicaps, the Grand National Steeplechase has done well numerically, as only 10 but of the 84 horses entered have paid forfeit- Unfortunately, however, the blue riband of cross-country sport has been robbed of a lot of interest, owing to the wholesale scratching of Jerry M., Cackler, and Holy War, the three most promising young jumpers in the country. The trio —all six-year-olds —are the property of the same owner, Mr. C. Assheton Smith, and between them cost that gentleman something like £7OOO. Mr. Assheton Smith gained fame some years ago as the owner of the renowned steeplecnaser Cloister, and it was confidently expected that one of his three candidates would m ike a bold bid to gain him his second National. In a communication to the press, however, Mr. Assheton Smith stated that he considerde his horses ridiculously overburdened with we’ght, and he has in consequence withdrawn all his entries for the race en bloc- Jerry M. and Cackler were, I may mention, handicapped at 12st lib and 12st 31b respectively, but, granting that these weights are decidedly heavy ones for six-year-olds, I think that the owner has somewhat overstepped the mark in describing them as “impossible.” With class nothing like so well repre sented as in many past seasons, there is, at any rale, little doubt that one or other of Mr. Assheton Smith’s candidates would have attracted a great deal of snppoit from the pubic-

According to the “ Thames Star,” some of the visitors to the Paeroa Races state that the racing was of an order called “ peculiar.” In one race the jockeys appeared to have taken command, and despite repeated warnings, indulged in conduct that resulted in the stewards ordering them to “stand down” for three months. One Thames visitor says: “I have seen some hot things on a racecourse, but that race was a scorcher, and the jockeys can think themselves lucky in getting off with such a light penalty. It was about as solid a thing as one would wish to see, and I am pleased that the club took the matter up so promptly.”

At a meeting of the Metropolitan Committee, held on Thursday, the Hon. E- Mitchelson in the chair, the disqualification of the jockey Albert Whitaker for two years by the Avondale Jockey Club for pulling the horse Lucio was endorsed and the appeal dismissed. The disqualification of N. Cunningham for life by the same club was not endorsed as regards being a party to the pulling of the horse Lucio, but he was disqualified for six months under sub-rule 1 of part 33 (refusing to give evidence, etc.) The appeal by C. Nicholson against the disqualification of the horse Lucio was adjourned to a future date.