Fr 21 Mar 1902 (3.27) 4m 4f Good to Soft 10.03.60 21 £2,000 A. Gorham
| 1 | Shannon Lass | 7 | 10-01 | J. Hackett | D. Read | 20/1 | Held up in mid-division 1C: 8th at 2nd, 12th ABC, 9th (of 18) WJ. Very steady headway 2C to be 4th VB. 5th ABC. Took 2nd before 29th where pressed leader and leapt into lead last. Produced better turn of foot flat. Comfortably. | ||
| 2 | Mathew(2) | 6 | 9-12 | J. Widger | W. Morgan | 50/1 | 3 | Away well & took lead before 2nd. Headed and 3rd BB 1C but regained lead CT. Headed once more ABC 1C where 2nd, 6th WJ. Rallied to be 3rd again at 19th and went back in front VB. Fairly handy advantage at one stage CS but strongly pressed from 28th. Battled gamely and still vied for lead last. Headed upon landing and outpaced. Kept on. | |
| 95 96 97 99 00 | 3 | Manifesto | 14 | 12-08 | W. Moore | E. Piggott | 100/6 | 3 | Held up, initially towards rear. Rear of mid-division from BB 1C, 14th ABC, 13th WJ. Steady headway to be 6th VB 2C. 4th ABC, 5th at 29th. Took 3rd circa last and briefly looked a threat but could give no more. Kept on. |
| 4 | Detail | 6 | 9-09 | C. Payne | A. Nightingall | 25/1 | Soon well held up towards rear, 15th ABC 1C, a rear of mid-division 14th WJ. Became prominent by VB 2C and pressed leader from 28th, 2nd ABC. Dropped to 3rd before 29th where 4th but retained every chance when blundered last. Slightly faded thereafter. | ||
| 5 | Lurgan | 6 | 10-12 | Cpt B. Dewhurst | F. Freemantle | 100/8 | Mid-division 1C, rear of same BB, 11th ABC & WJ. Gradually improved position 2C, 5th VB and 3rd at ABC. Dropped to 5th before 29th where 6th. Regained 5th by passing worsely weakening rival. | ||
| 6 | Tipperary Boy(2) | 8 | 11-06 | F. Cullen | T. Moran | 100/8 | Generally raced in fore of mid-division 1C. 6th CT 1C, 7th ABC & WJ. Good headway to be 2nd early 2C and took lead 19th. Headed & dropped back to 2nd VB. Remained prominent and a close up 3rd at 29th. Thereafter weakened quite badly. | ||
| 01 | 7 | Drumcree | 8 | 10-10 | Sir C. Nugent | H. Nugent | 6/1JF | Initially chased leaders. Prominent from 2nd, where 5th. 4th from BB to ABC 1C but had dropped to a mid-division 12th by WJ. No recovery 2C, behind and a beaten 7th at 29th. Laboured on. | |
| 98 99 00 01 | 8 | Barsac | 10 | 9-12 | G. Saunders-Davies | Tich Mason | 7/1 | Away well & very prominent. 4th at 2nd and took lead BB 1C. Headed CT 1C & dropped to 3rd. Same position ABC, 2nd Chair, 4th WJ. Regained 4th at 19th but began to sour on the effort required before VB 2C. Behind and a well beaten 8th at the 29th. Mooched on. | |
| 99 01 | 9 | The Sapper | 9 | 10-04 | G. Saunders-Davies | H. Brown | 40/1 | Away well but soon settled in mid-dvision, 9th ABC 1C. A fore of midfield 8th WJ, however, faded 2C and tailed off in 9th at 29th. Lumbered on. | |
| 10 | Miss Clifden | 6 | 9-07 | G. Butchers | H. Ripley | 50/1 | Rear of mid-division at best 1C, 13th ABC, had dropped to 15th by WJ. Faded further 2C and became well tailed off. | ||
| 11 | Steady Glass | 10 | 9-08 | T. Longworth | 100/1 | Soon rear of mid-division and towards rear by ABC 1C. Last but one and tailed off WJ. Finished well tailed off. | |||
| F | Inquisitor | 7 | 10-09 | Cpt C. Coventry | A. Wood | 6/1JF | 26TH | Mid-division. Chased leaders in 8th BB 1C and good further headway to be 2nd CT 1C. Took lead ABC but headed before Chair where 3rd. 2nd again WJ and led once more early 2C until made very bad mistake at 19th. Rallied to regain 3rd by VB. Fell next. | |
| P | Aunt May | 6 | 10-00 | M. Walsh | 20/1 | MID 2C | Initially chased leaders. Became very prominent in 3rd at 2nd but merely pursued leaders again in 6th at BB 1C, 5th CT, 6th ABC 1C. Effort to be 3rd once more at WJ. Remained extremely handy and took 2nd at 19th. Tired quite quickly afterwards and PU somewhere in mid part of 2C. | ||
| P | Whitehaven | 9 | 9-13 | S. Rustell | P. Woodland | 20/1 | 20TH | Mid-division 1C, 10th ABC & WJ. Lost ground rapidly early 2C and PU 20th. | |
| R | Helium | 7 | 10-10 | E. Tinsley | H. Caley | 50/1 | 19TH (OD) | Away well & prominent. 6th at 2nd, 2nd BB 1C. Had dropped to 8th by ABC 1C but ridden to take lead Chair which retained over WJ. Headed early 2C, however, still travelling okay when bridle got caught then became detached whilst rider was aiming for a gap in the 19th & horse refused. | |
| 01 | P | Zodiac | 7 | 9-07 | Lt Col F. Lort-Phillips | A. Banner | 100/1 | 19TH (OD) | Generally towards rear, last but one BB 1C and 16th WJ. No impact whatsoever. Gave up the ghost 19th. |
| B | Arnold | 8 | 10-01 | C. Brown | T. Bissill | 33/1 | EARLY 2C | Initially mid to rear. Chased leaders BB 1C. Prominent by ABC 1C in 5th and same position WJ. Still pursuing leaders when BD early 2C. | |
| 01 | F | Gossip | 8 | 9-07 | C. Brown | H. Hewitt | 100/1 | EARLY 2C | Slowly away & rearmost. Tailed off by BB 1C, well so WJ. No improvement when fell early 2C. |
| F | Dirkhampton | 8 | 10-00 | J. Sharpe | 50/1 | 8TH (CT) | Rear of mid-division until fell CT 1C. | ||
| F | Fairland | 9 | 9-10 | T. Coulthwaite | Harry Taylor | 25/1 | 7TH | Initially fore of mid-division. Became very prominent in 2nd by 2nd, 5th BB 1C. Still handy when slipped on landing & fell next. | |
| B | Drumree | 6 | 11-04 | J. Cannon | A. Anthony | 10/1 | 7TH | Away well & immediately led. Headed before 2nd where 7th. Chased leaders in same position BB 1C. BD by Fairland next. |
LAST HURRAH
Returning to the race, after a year's absence, at the age of 14 under another mighty weight and possibly short of a couple of gallops, Manifesto recorded his last remarkable effort by finishing third in the 1902 Grand National. The great Aintree warrior's drawing power ensured an attendance that was very probably a record despite King Edward VII not being part of the attraction because his Ambush was injured. Having been stuck at a pony short since 1893, the value to the winner hit two grand for the first time. The pace of this renewal was fairly moderate and gave an equal chance to horses either ridden prominently or held up. The time registered by Shannon Lass was, consequently, average. It does, however, indicate the going was no worse than Good to Soft for the 1902 National as opposed to the Heavy description afforded by many modern sources (some of which show the time as two minutes slower than it actually was!) In claiming her eighth and final chase success Shannon Lass became the eleventh triumphant mare and would soon be retired to stud. Jem Hackett was a private trainer, based in Telscombe, Sussex, for her owner Ambrose Gorham, a benevolent bookmaker (I kid you not) who donated a share of the prize money earnt by Shannon Lass towards restoration of the village church. David Read was a rather obscure veteran jockey who was aged around 40 at the time of this Grand National, a contest during which both the fancied Drumree (watch your bets!) and joint favourite Inquisitor suffered misfortune, as did outsiders Arnold and Helium. Some of the latter pair's fellow longshots and lightweights again filled the places, Manifesto apart, exemplifying the continuing decline of quality in depth during his extended era - two thirds of the 1902 field carried 10st 4lb or less.
At the weights the 14-y-o emerged a whopping 29 (pounds/lengths) superior to Shannon Lass, although the mare can be awarded 2 for the cosiness of her victory, 35 better than Mathew and circa 45 in advance of Detail. Last year's runner-up, the other joint favourite, Drumcree (whom I then rated -53) did not run his race in 1902, however, a glance into the future (1903) suggests that two years on from when I rated Manifesto -21 (1900), and bearing in mind the ageing horse may not have been fully tuned up, my instinct that his performance in the 1902 Grand National merits -28 is not far wrong because it places Detail at about -73. Mathew warrants -63 and Shannon Lass -55.
HOOFNOTES
> Some sources say Zodiac refused rather than PU at the 19th.
> Arnold, in particular, and Gossip may have exited MID 2C as opposed to EARLY 2C.
> Some historians feel that Dirkhampton fell at the 3rd not the first CT.