view raw text
FATE OF GRAND NATIONAL FAVORITES Six Absolute First Choices Successful in the Course of Its Last Thirty Years YearsThat That 1oethlyn is entitled to be favorite for the Grand National goes without saying and in view of the fact that he won last years race at Aintree under 175 pounds starting at 11 to 4 against a shorter price than any other favorite in the course of tin last thirty years his present price of 4 to 1 does not seem to be unreasonably cramped Five other winners of the Xational during the period referred to were absolute favorites and four more figured as joint favorites Counting these in as favorites this makes a total of ten favorites or equal favorites successful The other absolute favorites that won were Driiincrefi IX to 2 against Manifesto i to 1 against in 1807 Cloister to 2 against Come Away 4 to 1 against and Hex 4 to 1 against When Manifesto gained his second victory in 1S9 his price was 5 to 1 but there was one at a shorter price in Gentle Ida Of the win ¬ ners which divided favoritism with others Poethlyii when he won the War Xational at Gatwick in 1918 figured at the same price as two others 5 to 1 being also the starting quotation of Wuvcrtrec and Allv Sloper both of which fell When Jerry M won in 112 he was no better favorite than Rath nally which did not finish The longest price of ¬ fered on the field at the start for the big steeple ¬ chase was in 1009 when the winner Lntteur III figured at 100 to 0 against together with Shady Cilrl Why Not wa one of two n to 1 chances when ho scored in 1S9I achieving two records for he was the first and up to now the only Xational lluiit Steeplechase winner to win the Grand Xational lie is also the record holder in having been tin oldest horse to secure the big race for he was thirteen years old when he won the steeplechasing Itlue Ribbon RibbonAmong Among the horses that started favorite for the Xational one year or another with no success were Carrig Park a 7 to 2 chance in the year Itallymacad won at Gatwick while Ally Sloper stood at 9 to 2 in the previous year when Vermouth did the trick at 100 to 8 At Aintree in 1913 Rally hackle was first choice at 5 to 1 but did not finish while when Ally Sloper secured the last prewar Xational Irish Mail was favorite at ii to 1 Glancing back Lntteur III 7 to 2 failed to finish in Glensides year the winner being a 20 to 1 chance When Rubio achieved his startling suc ¬ cess in 1UOS his price being i i to 1 a previous winner in Kirkland was favorite at 13 to 2 against In 1901 as little as 7 to 2 was booked alxiut John M P at the start while the winner Ascetics Silver figured at twenties John M P fell but his failure notwithstanding he was made favorite again on the following afternoon in a field oC thirteen for the Champion Steeplechase but blun ¬ dered badly A shortpriced favorite that came to grief in Ambush II s year was Hidden Mys ¬ tery which was a fractionally better favorite than thfr winner 75 to 20 IHMIIK the price of the one and 4 to 1 of the late King Edwards horse Hid ¬ den Mystery hail the misfortune to be knocked over by a loose horse Covert Hack which had fallen at the first fence Covert Hnck was a stable companion of Ambush II London Sportsman
