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Saddled Three Grand National Victors Coulthwaite Feat | Spanned 34 Years Eremon, Jenkinstown, Grakle Sent Out by Irish Trainer; Linde Also Hung Up Triple By Special Correspondent. NEWMARKET, England. — Two Irish trainers have saddled three winners of the worlds most famous steeplechase, the Grand National — the late Henry Eyrre Linde, and the veteran Tom Coulthwaite, still with us, hale and hearty, though now retired from his profession. The late Linde s successes were gained in the nineteenth century, and they were all Irish-owned, -bred, -trained and -ridden. They comprise the two great mares Empress and Frigate and the gelding Woodbrook. The three were steered to victory by the late great Irish amateur Tommy Beasley. Coulthwaite s three victories were achieved in the present century and, while all were Irish-bred horses and conditioned by an Irishman in England, they were English-owned and -ridden. Two of them, Eremon and Jenkinstown victors in 1907 and 1910 and ridden by Arthur Newey and Bob Chadwick, respectively, were owned by Stanley Howard. The Liverpool sportsman, C. R. Taylor, was the owner and Bob Lyall the rider of Grakle, the third horse that Coulthwaite conditioned at Hednes-ford to win the premier steeplechase. In 1907 the great Aintree event was first officially named the Grand National Steeplechase, a handicap for five-year-olds and upward, and this year always will have the happiest memories for the veteran Dublin man, Coulthwaite, who has no peer in his knowledge of how to prepare a horse for the Aintree contest nor the qualities a horse must have to win over the punishing course. Rider Overcomes Difficulties That was the year when Coulthwaite achieved the first of his three triumphs. This success was gained through the medium of Howards Eremon, a seven-year- I old unsexed son of Thurles — Daisy that was bred in Ireland, the county, Tipperary. A big stake in wagers was won by owner Howard, trainer Coulthwaite and their connections over their horses lucky victory, made possible by the exhibition of clever horsemanship of jockey Newey. Prince Hatzfeldts Ascetic Silver, the previous years winner, and Charlie Hib-berts Red Lad, a pair of Irish -breds, shared favoritism at odds of 7 to 1, a point longer odds being offered about Eremon s chance at post time for the race. Eremon was set to carry only 141 pounds, but Arthur Newey had to overcome unusual difficulties before being assured of victory. He lost a stirrup at the beginning of the second round of the treacherous course. As he reached to regain it, Prince Hatzfeldts second string, another Irish-bred, Rathvale, who had unshipped his rider, Joe Dillon, persisted in keeping company with Eremon. These attentions of the riderless horse did not make Neweys task any easier. Nevertheless, Newey continued to ride with only one iron and, steering clear of all difficulties, won the race. Tom West finished second, and another tried and true Liverpool contender, Patlander, was third. Mighty Jerry M. Defeated That was the first and only appearance of Eremon in the Grand National. He was purchased for Mr. Howard in Ireland by the famous Irish Dublin horse dealer, the late James Daly, who was also responsible for finding the 1910 victor, Jenkinstown, for Howard and Coulthwaite. Jenkinstown, another of the many Irish-breds to win the coveted steeplechase, was a 100 to 8 chance when he carried Chadwick to victory in 1910, to bring off another big wager for the patrons of the Hednesford Stable. It was the great Jerry M., under the colors of Sir Charles Assheton-Smith and the favorite at odds of 6 to 1, that was runner-up to his compatriot, Jenkinstown, with Odor third. Two years later the mighty son of Walmsgate, Jerry M., achieved his owners ambition by shouldering the top impost of 175 pounds to easy victory and thus joining the list of Aintree champions, Cloister, Manifesto and Poeth-lyn, all of whom carried that crushing burden to victory over the gruelling four miles 856 yards course at Aintree. It was not until 1931, twenty-one years later, that Tom Coulthwaite registered his third success as trainer of a Grand National winner. Another Irish-bred, Grakle, a 100 to 1 chance in the betting, scored over his erstwhile stable companion, the 1929 winner of the race, Gregalach, with another consistently good performer over the course, Annandale, third in a field of forty-three runners. Grakle was ridden by Bob Lyall in what was his fifth attempt in the great race. He covered the course in 9:32, then a record for the event. However, this mark since has been beaten by another Irish horse, Golden Miller, who took 9:2025 when he carried Miss Dorothy Pagets silks to victory in 1934. Grakle was retired to his owners place near Liverpool owing to a heart affection, and died following an accident early in 1940. Coulthwaite, who schooled and developed Grakle, always maintained the greatest faith in him, as being just the type of horse to win a Grand National, this despite the horses earlier failures in the big race at Aintree. When Gregalach the Grand National victor in 1929 and Grakle were both five-year-olds and Coulthwaite was training them for their owner, T. K. Laidlaw at Hednesford, this sportsman offered the two Irish-bred geldings at Messrs Tattersalls sales, at Park Paddocks, Newmarket, on the Wednesday morning of the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes renewal in 1927. Gregalach, a good looking chestnut, was sold for 5,000 guineas about 6,250 to Mrs. M. A. Gemmell, and the equally good looking Grakle, a trifle unlucky in that years Grand National, a bay son of Jackdaw, went to Cecil Taylor for 4,000 guineas about 1,000. The Liverpool cotton broker buying him on the advice of Coulthwaite. National Winners Owners Bred in Ireland, by Messrs. Slocock, Hanover Stud, Carlow, Grakle, a first foal, was a bay son of that great stayer, and good stallion Jackdaw sire of the mighty gelding Brown Jack out of Lady Crank, by Machakos, from Lady Noe, by Ballinoe, and came from the No. 21 family. When a yearling, Messrs. Slocock sent up Grakle to Messrs. Goffs Dublin Horse Show Sales in 1923, and he was sold to Pat Thompson for 110 guineas about 75, while his grandam, Lady Noe, was sold In 1919, at the age of twelve, to go into harness. Grakle passed into the possession of Laidlaw at the end of his two-year-old career. The latter bought him with a view to developing him into a Grand National prospect, a race that he had tried to win many times. His black gold spots silks were carried into second place by Fly Mask on one occasion. After the death of his wife, he did not wish his silks to be sported during a period of mourning, and thus Laidlaw sold his two Grand National prospects. Gregalach and Grakle. It is said that both horses were offered at private sale to the American sportsman, John Hay Whitney, but that his agent in this country, who looked them over at Coulthwaite s Hednesford Stable, declined the offer. Coulthwaite was in virtual retirement when he saddled Grakle to win the Grand National, but still with us, and is a most successful grower and exhibitor of roses at the flower shows in England — a hobby that he adopted during his active days as trainer.
