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TODAYS GREAT RACE IN ENGLAND. Story of the Grand National Steeplechase and the Difficult Aintree Course. The minds and eyes of racing enthusiasts ha world over turn to Fnslaml today, for this is tbe day thai the Grand National, "the btac riband r 1 be sterner chase," is to be run over the final ami difficult Aintree course at Liverpool. It is a race for a Mg prize and hard lo win, but. it lias ever i eon attractive to earners of Jonaaing aorsee, a- n attested by the fields that have started in iK history of nearly half a century. II has never had fewer than ten starters, in 1MB, and anCC bad thirty, in 1stMJ. The prize is SK,dM and a trophy rained at MBS, in addition to SUV, from each of the starters; |79 from the horses accepting weights but not starting, and US Iroui haraea declared a Her the assignment of the weights. This year there were sixty lio ciaries. of which ten declared. lea Ing fifty live eligible to atari today. Wgnrlng on a ■eld of twenty the winners partial will be 7,300, the second will re.eiM tl.880, I he third tl.dM, and the fourth home .$:.7.".. The dtalahec of the race is about four miles and 85€ yards. Ihia awana ami lically twice over the 1 rae. Tlie start is saade just heyani the paddock, which is at the right of the grandstand as one sits faetog Hie track. There are sivleen Ohalatln in the ionise. Ioinleen of which are taken twice ranateg the horses, that is those Iniahkag, to yanap Ihirly times. The Brat j p is called -Fairs Ieii.e." II is ■ ditllcnll. natural .piickset hedge trimmed down to the feel biuh. but il is Hilly four feet thick, ami must be •cleared. " not brushed, and it was named after a wonderful steeplechase tn ne. but. ntthongk a grand fencer an other cuntsta. always going .low 11 at the lirsl .National fence. The Best obstacle is ■ nalur.il thorn fence, mud .re eaay, and the third is ■ nasty one with ■ si loot wide ditch on the takeoff side. Then follows | pretty stiff post and rails. BVC feel Ugh, and the lifth J 11 111 1 . is an ordinary ghgllai thorn hedge. The sivth is "Beckers Break,* so named after a captain Bei her. who was killed there. It is a natural watercourse, eight feet wide, with fairly steep banks, with I stiff lour feet high fence. Over Ibis the horses begfal lo turn. The nel obslacle is 1 hedge, having a rail fence thirty inches in height standing three feet from Us front base. The eighth Ieii.e is a broad, thick hedge, with a deep ditch on the take oil side. Over this the turn is completed ami the horses run toward the stand, but far to the left of it and then comes •Valentines Brook." with banks not quite so steep, but wider than "Bechera," and the fence in front of it is practically twelve laches higher. A thick thorn hedge is the tenth jump, followed by a thick hedge With a dCCf dltCh, fully seven Met Wide. Anoihei ditch of similar width accentuates the harmless hedge next iti order, the ditch being an the farther side. Over Ibis begins the turn for the run past the stand and the thirteenth and fourteenth fences are artiiieial brush, four and a half feet high, and Stiff, being very brand. The lifieenlh jump is a ditch and fence and then comes the great water jump which is in front of the giandst.ind. ami those clearing it COVCf about twenty feet, imlu.limc a two foot high hedge, which lets the horses see the water, causing nervous animals to refuse. This is atactica By half the conrae, as the next fence is •fans." but in the second round the Water jump, and the feme immediately preceding if. are not taken, the haraea finishing on the tlat directly in front of the grandstand. Here is a list of the winners of the Grand National, together With the number of starters, the Weight carried b. the winner 111- the rider of the winner: Tear. Horse. Sirts Wt. Jockey. 1 still Ana t is BJ U8 1. Thomas. IM, I Jealousy Ll 138 dal. UK2 Huntsman 13 1.1 1. L. niplugh. 1863 liniblem 1G IM Q. Sieveii-.. IMM Lmblcmntic ....M lM . Stevens. IM6 Alcibiade i:; i.,s C. ptaiu Coventry. UM6 Bala lander ....:io 141 hi-. Goodaaan. lMo toitolvin :! 1U7 I nge. Utt The Lamb 21 117 ...r. K.hvards 1 Mill The Colonel SI 117 G. .Stewn-.. 1870 The Colonel . . . .s.: Ht G. sieen. 1x71 The Lamb S MB Mr. Thomas. 1872 Caaee fete S no Page. 1873 Disturbance JS MS Mr. J.M. Bieliar.lson 1874 Bengny si Ml Mr. J.M. Richardson 1875 Pathtinder 1H IM Mr. Thomas. isru Regal it* i:.7 J. Cannon 1S77 Austerlitz hi Us Mr. 1. ;. Hobson. W78 Shifnal 12 IfiZ J. Jones. 1879 Liberator IS Ifit Mr. G. Moore. 1880 Empress n U7 Mr. T. Beaaley. 1881 Woodbrook 13 1H Mr. T. Beaaley. Issl Seaman 1:1 Itllt Lord Manners. 1883 Zoedoiie 10 ]",4 Count Kinskv. 1884 Voluptuary |fi 11", Mr. K. P. Wilson. 1885 Roquefort l!t 154 Mr. B. I. Wilson. 1886 old Joe S. 11! T. Skellon. 1887 Genu cock IB l.r 4 Daniels. 1888 Plavfair i| 117 Mawsoii. 1889 frigate 20 1",S Mr. T. Leasley. 1890 Ilex PI 145 A. NightlngalL 1891 Come Away ...:i Ml Mr. H. Beaaley. 1893 Father Ollyiin. .! ll". Captain B, K. Owen. 1893 Cloister 15 177. Dolerv. 18*4 Why Not u ho A. NightlngalL 1896 SV.Manfr. Borneo 1!» Id Mr. .1. Midger. I8M The Boarer s IM Mr.D.M.i;. Campbell. is.; Manifesto SS Ml T. Kavanaugb. lsas Drogheda s~ MS Qonrlry. 1899 Manifesto lit 17.7 G. Williamson. 1!kh» Ambush II 1C 157 Anthony. 1901 Grndan 34 no a. NightlngalL 1982 Shannon Lass . .Jl 1!1 D. Bead. IMS Dnuncree H 1-.7 P. Womlland. MM Moifaa Lli 147 A. Birch. 1986 Klrklaad l7 IM K. blaaon. MM Ascetics Silver .si 149 Hon. A. Hastings. The probable starters for the race today. gicn in the order of their standing in the latest London belling, are: Horse. Wt. Horse. Wt. Kremon l..l Tom West IM Bathvale it.:; Baaaendyl 1".". Woolfs Folly 153 Denmark 14:! Bed Lad 157 Napper Tandy 145 Ascetics Silver 175 Barabbas II 115 Timothy Tims M4 Detail 140 Drnmcree lj: Bavenselifle ll! Centre Board 151 Kilts 14:! There has been no lictting on any of the other eUgihtea. The two fligltdrs owned by Americans are Thomas Clydes Darine 144. and Ioxhall Keenen Prophet III. 144. It is not known here whether or not these will atart. Probably not.
