The practice/preliminary hurdle was eliminated.
Fr 24 Mar 1911 (3.01) 4m 4f Good to Soft (Soft places) 10.35.00 26 £2,500 F. Bibby
| 10 | 1 | Glenside | 9 | 10-03 | Cpt R. Collis | J. Anthony | 20/1 | Away well. Slight mistake 3rd and settled in mid-division. 9th BB 1C, 7th CT 1C, chased leading pair in 6th ABC, 4th (of 8) WJ. Left 3rd at 18th, same position 20th. Left in dispute of lead 23rd, soon headed. 2nd, 4L down, when left well clear 26th. Very bad mistake 28th. Pecked last. Nursed home dog tired. | |
| 2R | Rathnally | 6 | 11-00 | T. Coulthwaite | B. Chadwick | 8/1 | 30 | Very prominent in 4th by 4th. 3rd from BB 1C, 6L behind leading pair in same position ABC 1C. Still 3rd when very bad mistake WJ, leaving jockey up horse's neck. Left 2nd at 18th, same position 20th and still so when hampered by the refusing Caubeen at 23rd causing rider to be flung over fence. Eventually remounted, well tailed off. Gave game but fruitless pursuit. | |
| 09 10 | 3R | Shady Girl | 10 | 10-05 | B. Gore | G. Clancy | 33/1 | 3 | Rear of mid-division, left 13th BB 1C. A midfield 5th WJ. Took 4th at 19th, left in dispute of lead 23rd. Soon ahead and 4L clear when fell 26th. Remounted well tailed off. Gave game but fruitless pursuit. |
| 4R | Foolhardy | 10 | 9-07 | W. Bowman | W. MacNeill | 50/1 | DIST | Slowly away and towards rear when fell 3rd. Remounted tailed off. Well tailed off by CS 1C and when 8th & last WJ. Became completely adrift 2C. Eventually struggled home utterly tailed off. | |
| 09 10 | R | Caubeen | 10 | 11-05 | Cpt R. Collis | A. Newey | 8/1 | 23RD | Away well & immediately led. Headed before 1st but remained very prominent, 2nd at 4th. Disputed lead BB 1C, led again next & CT. Joined CS 1C, pair 6L to the good ABC. Ahead once more Chair. Briefly joined again WJ but in front again soon after. Still led when aimed at gap left in the 23rd by Lutteur on the 1C & refused. (Thereafter persistently declined obstacle.) |
| 08 | F | Mount Prospect's Fortune | 9 | 11-06 | B. Gore | E. Driscoll | 66/1 | 20TH | Initially raced in mid-division but had dropped to last of main group when left 14th BB 1C. Mid-division again ABC 1C and when 6th WJ. Left 4th at 18th, lost that position with bad mistake 19th. Fell next. |
| 10 | F | Precentor | 12 | 9-11 | T. Lavender | A. Aylin | 100/1 | 18TH | Away well. 3rd at 4th. Disputed lead BB 1C. 2nd CT 1C. Vied for lead once more CS, pair 6L clear at ABC 1C. A very close 2nd at Chair, briefly shared lead again WJ where mistake. 2nd when fell 18th. |
| 05 09 10 | P | Hercules | 15 | 9-08 | W. Hatt | R. Hall | 50/1 | EARLY 2C | Slowly away. Up to 8th at 4th. Left 10th BB 1C. Mistake & UR VB 1C. Remounted tailed off. Becoming well tailed off in a last but one 7th WJ and PU soon after. |
| F | Monk | 8 | 10-01 | F. Withington | J. Tyrrwhitt-Drake | 100/1 | 15TH (CHAIR) | Away well. 6th BB 1C. 5th CT 1C and chased leading pair in same position ABC. Fell Chair. | |
| 08 10 | F | Jenkinstown | 10 | 11-07 | F. Withington | P. Woodland | 100/7 | 14TH | Chased leaders until became prominent. 5th BB 1C, 4th CT. Still 4th ABC 1C but 20L off the pace. Stirrup leather broke 13th causing horse to blunder 14th & become lodged on top of the fence. |
| F | Schwarmer | 8 | 10-00 | F. Withington | F. Dainty | 25/1 | 10TH | Initially mid-division. 7th BB 1C, 6th CT. Similar position when fell 10th. | |
| F | Bridge | 7 | 9-09 | G. Poole | P. Roberts | 100/1 | 10TH | Well towards rear by BB 1C. Similar position when fell 10th. | |
| B | Great Cross | 6 | 9-13 | T. Coulthwaite | C. Walwyn | 66/1 | 10TH | Slowly away and well towards rear of main group BB 1C. BD by a loose horse 10th. | |
| F | Viz | 7 | 10-05 | P. Hartigan | Bryan Bletsoe | 50/1 | 8TH (CT) | Away well & led 1st. Still ahead 4th but had dropped to a close up 4th by BB 1C. 3rd when tried to refuse & fell into ditch CT 1C. | |
| B | Circassian's Pride | 7 | 9-13 | I. Morgan | 25/1 | 8TH (CT) | Mid-division, 8th BB 1C. Rear of same when BD by Viz (on take off side) CT 1C. | ||
| U | Rory O'Moore | 10 | 11-06 | P. Whitaker | P. Whitaker | 100/7 | 7TH | Rear of mid-division, left 11th BB 1C. Hampered by loose horse (Suhescun) on landing & UR 7th. | |
| 09 | F | Lutteur | 7 | 12-03 | G. Batchelor | G. Parfrement | 7/2F | 7TH | Held up in rear of mid-division. Left 12th BB 1C. Hampered by a loose horse on take off 7th & became stuck on top of fence with jockey. |
| F | Hesperus Magnus | 9 | 9-07 | W. Hatt | W. Fitzgerald | 66/1 | 6TH (BB) | Slowly away. Progress towards midfield and 10th when fell BB 1C. | |
| 10 | F | Fetlar's Pride | 10 | 10-07 | T. Gwilt | J. Walsh jnr | 25/1 | 6TH (BB) | Initially prominent but towards rear of main group when fell BB 1C. |
| F | Suhescun | 7 | 10-01 | F. Withington | A. Chapman | 50/1 | 5TH | Prominent, 5th at 4th. Fell 5th. | |
| 09 10 | F | Carsey | 8 | 10-06 | A. Hastings | P. Cowley | 100/9 | 5TH | Prominent, 6th at 4th. Fell 5th. |
| B | Roman Candle | 9 | 9-07 | W. Stratton | T. Willmot | 28/1 | 5TH | Away well & chased leaders, 7th at 4th. BD by Carsey 5th. | |
| F | Flaxen | 9 | 9-07 | W. Pirie | A. Smith | 50/1 | 4TH | Mid to rear, fell 4th. | |
| 09 | F | Lord Rivers | 9 | 10-09 | P. Whitaker | W. Payne | 33/1 | 2ND | Mid to rear, fell 2nd. |
| U | Trianon | 6 | 11-08 | R. Sauval | 33/1 | 1ST | Mid-division, UR 1st. | ||
| F | Carder | 8 | 9-07 | A. Yates | B. Roberts | 50/1 | 1ST | Mid-division, fell 1st. |
MIND THE GAP
Another record crowd was reported and those present in 1911 witnessed the most dramatic and sensational Grand National to this point as for the first time since 1837, when just four started, there was only one finisher who wasn't remounted. Glenside became almost unarguably the most fortunate and least able winner so far. Contemporary newspapers expressed the opinion that the jockeys set off too fast and the press also strongly criticised the forward seat (see 1903) adopted by many of the riders as being detrimental to their chances of completing and believed such posture contributed to plenty of the falls. Said papers, too, describe the going as perfect, like velvet. This is in stark contrast to more modern sources that claim the ground was atrociously Heavy, a morass, and appallingly muddy with the race being run in torrential rain. What nonsense! Photographs display that it was, in fact, sunny which is confirmed by moving pictures and the available film also shows that no mud was flying or attaching itself to any jockey's colours, even those who had taken a tumble. Visual evidence, in addition, reveals that the quoted winning distance of twenty lengths is a severe underestimate. It is true that Glenside's time, especially for the low weight he carried, is one normally, for his era, associated with going on the Heavy side and he did finish exhausted. However, given that Glenside, who was blind in his right eye, had recently been coughing, his wind was not the best, he made a few mistakes, probably went too fast early on and was not, despite finishing second in the 1910 Grand Sefton, all that good a horse, the tale of the clock is explicable if the ground, which I believe must have had some juice in it, was somewhere between a morass and velvet.
Whatever, it was a brave effort by Glenside and a change of luck from last year for the ailing Frank Bibby who was winning owner for the second time. Upon the outbreak of the Great War Bibby would give all his hunters to the army, he died in 1923. Speaking of war, Captain Robert Collis had been badly wounded at Paardeberg in the Boer version and by 1911 Collis trained more than he rode. He was never going to take the mount on Glenside. Even when Tich Mason, successful on Bibby's Kirkland in 1905, got injured Jack Anthony, youngest of three brothers (Ivor, Owen) and no relation to Algy, was booked rather than Collis taking over. Jack gained the first of what would be three Grand National victories at his first attempt. Known to be strong, tough and fearless, Jack on this occasion displayed intelligence, tenderness and compassion to coax his legless steed home. Good luck was in short supply elsewhere. Jenkinstown, whose stirrup leather broke, and Lutteur becoming implanted for a time on the 14th and 7th respectively, thus demonstrating the increased thickness of the hedges discussed in 1910. But most unfortunate of all was probably Rathnally, Bob Chadwick only completing a win sandwich by virtue of his running through the rails back to the take off side of the 23rd to be reunited with his horse and finish runner-up for the second time in three years, because based on the evidence of previous renewals there was no guarantee that either Shady Girl or Caubeen would have stayed as well (had all three completed the course without blemish). Alf Newey attempted to keep the latter going after the horse first spooked at the gap left by Lutteur in the 7th/23rd, however, Caubeen persistently declined the obstacle. In a contrast of human attitude, John Walsh junior after being helped to remount by a policeman following Fetlar's Pride fall at first Becher's apparently did not think his lot would be a happy one if continuing.
The merit of Glenside's form in the 1911 Grand National is, of course, virtually worthless. Effectively, due to all the incident, the pace collapsed and the sole survivor's time is recorded as 23.80s slower than that of The Soarer (whom I rated -48) in 1896, the most recent previous occasion that the going was similar. Even using the minimum lengths per second equation, allowing that Glenside carried 4lb more than had The Soarer, granting the former 7 (pounds/lengths) because the jumping test was stiffer, and also affording the one-eyed creature 4 for his very bad mistake at the 28th and peck at the last I cannot award Glenside anything better than -93.
HOOFNOTES
> Reg Green in A Race Apart suggests that Carder may have fallen at the 1st. I certainly think the horse exited very early on because there is no mention of the entire in any contemporary report, however, it is possible he fell at the 2nd, 3rd or 4th.