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HOW MASTER ROBERT WON « Grand National Victor Was Outrun Early but Failed to Tire. 1 Kritement of in nine Caused Trudgill, His Itider, to Fall in a Faint After the Finish. » BY E. K. COUSSELL. LONIiON. England. April 3— There- were thirty runners for the Grand National, eaeh cf which iia.:d $." 00 to start. The added money-was 5,000. Of the seventy-two entries the fit st forfeit of 5 was paid for thirteen horses. It cost the non-runners 50. As a result the Grand National Stakes was worth 1. ."25 lo the owner of the winner, who a couple of years ago bought Master Robert as a hunter for ,100. In the last twenty-five years Lutteur III.. Shaun Spadah and Music Hall defeated larger fields. It is scarcely creditable, but true nevertheless, that at the time of the start for the Grand National, speculators were taking the absurd price of 5 to 2 against Conjuror II. With thirty runners and eight finishers it is demonstrable the odds are about 4 to 1 against a horse"s completing the Grand National course, with more than thirty fences to be jumped, to say nothing of winning the race. Of course, the odds were false. They were due to double event bets on the Lincolnshire and Grand National. The bookmakers heavily committed to the double of Sir Galla-had III. and Conjuror II. tit was a favorite •"double" proceeded to •"insure" themselves by backing Conjuror II. with other layets net so deeply involved. This accounted for Conjuror II. s absurd price. SIR GALAHAD III.— MASTER ROBERT Douglas Stuart has advertised that he was paying out nearly 50,000 over the double of Sir Galahad III. and Master Robert. He added that if Conjuror II. had won, the double would have cost him about ,000,000. If Sergeant Murphy had scored aain it would have cost Stuart 80,000. Inhappily for the great sporting public, they were destined to know their fate early in the contest. Conjuror II. fell at the fifth fence before they had gone one mile. His rider thought he had been "sharpened" too much in his last gallop before the Grand National, when he went two miles over hurdles at his fastest pace. There arose a great groan of despair from Conjuror II. s supporters. Winter Voyage led to the third fence, where he fell and thereafter played much havoc with the other runners. It should be explained that loose horses cannot escape from the track. The rails are thickly lined with excited spectators almost all the way around. The riderless horses invariably follow cr ac-ompany the other runners and naturally frequently cause acute anxiety to the jockeys. When the race w;is half over only sixteen horses were "standing up." Such popular "fancies" as Taffy t us. Arravale. with lercy Whitaker, who is fifty-two years old. in the saddle, and Music Hall were numbered with the "casualties." Among the sixteen runners to come over the big water jump in front of the stand, before completing the first circuit of the course, were Winnall, Sergeant Murphy, Drifter. Silvo, Old Tay Bridge, Eureka II., Ely Mask. Gerald L. and Master Robert. [Sergeant Murphy was caused to blunder at ithe water by a loose horse. After going another mile Gerald E. was pulled up. Early in the race his bridle slipped. His rider daringly rode him for over two miles with the bit across the face of Gerald L. Einally he had to pull up his mount. Winnall took a long lead the second time around, but after going about a mile he collided with a riderless horse near a fence, which he refused. This may have cost him the race. He was then fences in front of the ultimate winner. Winnalls retirement left Silvo leading just ahead of Old Tay Bridge, with Sergeant Murphy. Fly Mask and .Master Robert about a fence behind. The last two were rapidly making up ground. The third fence from tho finish is a thorn fenc. . four feet ten inches high, three feet wide, with a ditch on the far side, and this ditch is five and a half feet jwide. I Old Tay Bridge, full of running, took the jump all right, but failed to maintain his [balance on landing. His rid r. the veteran Hubert Ilartigan. was thrown and sustained concussion. Hut for this he appeared sure t I to win for Silvo was then beaten. MASTKK KOHKltT TAKES TIIK IF. AD. Shortly afterward Master Robert took the lead. He made a mistake at the last fenco of all. but recovered to go on and win amid [great excitement by four lengths from Fly I Mask, which had passed the rapidly tiring Silvo. The latter was defeated three lengths. Orifter was fourth. Sergi ant Murphy fifth, |Waveton sixth. Shaun Spadah seventh and Ballinode. which walked past the post, i ighth. These were all to finish. About a month before the Grand National and about the time Ulackwcll wished to run him. Sergeant Murphy contracted a chill and had to be stopped in his work for over a week. This unquestionably affected him. for hi was unable to respond when called upon for an ef-! fort. The time was 9:40, which is six seconds slower than the time record held by Ascetics | Silver, which was also trained by the Hon. A. Hastings. He is the trainer of Master I Robert, which was always regarded as the stables si ciitid string until Super Man gave way. The bold show of Fly Mask was in accordance with his owners anticipation of , twelve months ago. when the horse went amiss almost on the eve of the Grand National. At the time of the race the winner was on offer at 25 to 1 and this had been his price for several weeks. He was a popular outsider; 14 to 1 each was offered against the second and third. Sergeant Murphy was at 100 to 6 and Drifter at 40 to 1. Trudgill. the rider of Master Robert, is an experienced, courageous, but unfashionable professional jockey. Percy Whitakers stepson. Petet Roberts, the amateur rider, I elected to have the mount on Balm Oil instead of Master Robert. Balm Oil fell and his Jockey sustained a broken wrist. Interviewed after the race. Trudgill stated that "for half the race the leaders were j much too fast for Master Robert, which was not jumping too well. Twice I was 1 hanging on his neck owing to his mistakes. , He reached too far and hit the top of his fences witli his hind legs, so for a long time 1 did not fancy my chance. "My hopes began to rise a mile from home when I was close to Ike leaders. Silvo and Old Tay Bridge. When I caught and passed Silvo I knew lie was beaten and I cannot d scribe my sensations as 1 came over the last fence in front of the field."
