Fr 24 Mar 1899 (3.37) 4m 4f Good 9.49.80 19 £1,975 J. Bulteel
| 95 96 97 | 1 | Manifesto | 11 | 12-07 | W. Moore | G. Williamson | 5/1 | Soon chased leaders, 6th at 1st. 8th BB 1C. Slipped upon landing CT 1C on inadvertently left hay & miraculous recovery. A fore of mid-division 9th early CS. 6th again (of 14) WJ. 5th early 2C, 7th BB. Headway to be 4th ABC and continued progress to take lead 29th. Drew away after last. Comfortably. | |
| 97 98 | 2 | Ford Of Fyne | 8 | 10-10 | J. Dormer | E. Matthews | 40/1 | 5 | Initially mid-division. Briefly prominent in 4th BB 1C. A fore of midfield 8th early CS 1C, same position WJ & BB 2C. Took closer order in 5th early CS and further headway to be 2nd by ABC. Led briefly soon after but no answer when winner came to lead (29th). Kept on. |
| 3 | Elliman | 8 | 10-01 | G. Marsh | E. Piggott | 20/1 | 2 | Fore of mid-division. Became more prominent in 7th BB 1C, up to 4th early CS 1C, 5th ABC 1C. Lost position and merely a midfield 10th WJ but soon became fairly handy again in 6th early 2C & BB. 4th once more early CS and 3rd ABC. Had dropped back to 5th by 29th, however, kept on very one-paced to reclaim 3rd. | |
| 98 | 4 | Dead Level | 7 | 10-06 | J. Dormer | Tich Mason | 33/1 | Mid-division. Headway to become more prominent in 6th early CS 1C but slightly lost position between ABC 1C and WJ where 9th. Chased leaders in same position until beyond BB 2C and rather benefited from the demise of others to be 6th again ABC. Good progress, however, to be 3rd at 29th. Unable to sustain effort and slightly weakened. | |
| 98 | 5 | Barsac | 7 | 9-12 | B. Bletsoe | H. Ripley | 25/1 | Slowly away. Last at 1st & BB 1C. Steady and modest headway to be 11th WJ but made better progress early 2C to be 5th BB. Up to 3rd by early CS and took lead before ABC. Began to feel the pinch soon after and faded, possibly lacking application, to be 6th at 29th. Regained 5th due to a worsely weakening horse. | |
| 6 | Whiteboy | 10 | 9-10 | D. McGibbon | A. Banner | 200/1 | Rear of mid-division 1C, 12th WJ. No greater impact 2C but jumped well and modest late progress into midfield by 29th. Plugged on dourly, never nearer. | ||
| 7 | Ambush | 5 | 10-02 | T. Lushington | A. Anthony | 100/12 | Fore of mid-division until minor headway CS 1C to be 6th ABC, 7th WJ. Further very gradual progress to be 5th ABC 2C and 4th at 29th. Thereafter weakened very badly and finished virtually tailed off. | ||
| 98 | 8 | Electric Spark | 8 | 9-11 | A. Waddington | 20/1 | Mid-division. Headway after BB 1C to be 5th early CS 1C and 3rd ABC, 4th WJ. Same position early 2C but raced in 2nd by BB until early CS. Faded thereafter and well beaten in midfield by 29th. Finished tailed off. | ||
| 9 | Mum | 7 | 10-05 | D. Mann | F. Hassall | 100/1 | Slowly away. Incessant progress to be very prominent by VB 1C and led soon after. Maintained advantage until early 2C and once headed remained extremely handy, 3rd BB. Led again not all that long after but when headed once more mid CS began to fade very badly and well beaten in midfield by 29th. Finished tailed off. | ||
| 97 | 10 | Fairy Queen | 13 | 9-11 | G. Saunders-Davies | W. Oates | 100/1 | Initially rear of mid-division but last by early CS 1C and still rearmost WJ. Became tailed off early 2C and remained last early CS. Continued to plod on, gaining one place but finishing completely tailed off. | |
| 11 | Corner | 8 | 9-07 | W. McKie | D. Read | 200/1 | Away well & took lead before 1st. Not headed until just after VB 1C but then lost position very badly and last but one WJ. Lumbered round 2C, dropping to last after early CS and becoming completely tailed off. | ||
| F | Xebee | 7 | 11-04 | A. Holman | A. Wood | 33/1 | 27TH (OD) | Initially rear of mid-division. Gradual and sustained headway from prior to BB 1C to be 5th WJ. Chased leaders early 2C but soon dropped back into midfield where remained until fell 27th. | |
| P | Trade Mark | 6 | 10-02 | H. Stark | J. Knox | 25/1 | 26TH | Chased leaders, 7th at 1st. 5th BB 1C. Only fore of mid-division early CS 1C but renewed progress to be 2nd ABC & WJ. Remained very handy early 2C, 4th BB. However, blundered next (23rd) and faded rapidly. PU 26th. (Later found to be suffering from a virus.) | |
| 98 | P | Sheriff Hutton | 7 | 9-13 | A. Holman | C. Hogan | 100/7 | 26TH | Away well & immediately led. Headed before 1st where 4th. 2nd BB 1C, 3rd early CS 1C, 4th again ABC and 3rd once more WJ. Retook lead early 2C and held it until not long after BB. Thereafter faded badly and PU dead beaten 26th. |
| F | Pistache | 5 | 10-03 | H. Escott | Cou de Geloes | 100/1 | 15TH (CHAIR) | Away well, 2nd at 1st. Soon lost position and no better than midfield by BB 1C. Rear of same when fell heavily Chair. | |
| F | Gentle Ida | 10 | 11-07 | H. Dyas | B. Taylor | 4/1F | 9TH (VB) | Prominent, 5th at 1st. 6th BB 1C and similar position when overjumped & fell VB 1C. | |
| F | Little Norton | 12 | 9-07 | Cpt D. Beatty | C. Clack | 200/1 | 8TH (CT) | Away well. 3rd at 1st & BB 1C. Still very prominent when fell CT 1C. | |
| 97 | F | Lotus Lily | 9 | 9-12 | J. Walley | J. Latham | 100/8 | 8TH (CT) | Mid-division until caught out by loose guard rail & fell CT 1C. |
| F | The Sapper | 6 | 10-11 | J. Dormer | G. Saunders-Davies | 10/1 | 2ND | Fore of mid-division, fell 2nd. |
HAY IS BETTER EATEN!
In becoming the sixth dual winner (the first since The Lamb in 1871) of the Grand National Manifesto joined Cloister as the only horses to yet lump 12st 7lb to victory and gave his new trainer Willie Moore a third success in the race. Manifesto had to survive slipping on hay, employed to protect against frost and accidently not removed, at the first Canal Turn. It was a clever recovery by the horse and his rider, George Williamson, who temporarily lost both irons in the incident but managed to avoid swallowing the toothpick he habitually clenched when race-riding! The Champion Jockey of 1896 later presented it to the trainer's wife who had it set into a gold brooch. The lightweights went too fast on the first circuit (and beyond in many cases) and the horses that ultimately filled the first four places were positioned between sixth and tenth at the Water Jump. The 1899 National was settled between the 28th and 29th.
There is no denying that this was an epic performance by Manifesto, his best so far in the Grand National and one worth a place on my Scroll Of Merit. Strictly at the weights he once again emerged 30 (pounds/lengths) superior to reliable yardstick Ford Of Fyne whom I rated -59 last year as I had in 1897 when Manifesto was allowed 5 for ease of victory and awarded -24. Here in 1899 Manifesto triumphed cosily and very nearly fell due to the stray hay, therefore, I will grant him 10 for a rating of -19. That is the same as I gave to Why Not in 1894 and whilst Manifesto's 1899 winning time was again (see 1897) around four seconds slower, on similar going, than Why Not's Manifesto shouldered 8lb more than the 1894 victor had and 18lb more weight than he himself carried to success in 1897. Additionally, in 1899 the pace collapsed (along the second canal side). Manifesto should have been able to give 8lb and a comfortable beating to late withdrawal Drogheda (rated -38 in 1898), however, the dual winner's original owner Harry Dyas did not believe his former charge could have sucessfully conceded a stone to the favourite Gentle Ida, whom he trained, had she stood up. The mare had given 24lb and cocked a snook (say 40 superior) to Dead Level in a race at Kempton earlier in March, Manifesto certainly bettered that in the 1899 National but not by a stone, more like half a stone, because Dead Level (rated -66 in 1898 and whom appears to have finished quite close up behind Elliman) came out, as last year, about half a stone inferior to Ford Of Fyne and thus roughly 47 below Manifesto. To recap, then, Elliman -70, Dead Level -66, Ford Of Fyne -59 and my Scroll now reads: -14 Lottery, The Lamb, Disturbance, Seaman, Come Away, Cloister; -18 Congress, The Liberator; -19 Why Not, Manifesto.