By ROY ASPINALL
A DREAM field of
top-class jumpers is set to produce a classic showdown at the $200,000
Grand National Hurdle (3900 metres) at Sportingbet Park, Sandown, next
Sunday.
It is the first of the two premier metropolitan jumps meetings in
Australia to be conducted by the Melbourne Racing Club at Sandown’s
Lakeside track; the second is the $250,000 Grand National Steeplechase
(4500 metres) on Sunday, July 28.
Between them, the quartet of Black And Bent, Gotta Take Care,
Macedonian and Wells have raced 42 times over the hurdles for 24 wins,
earning a combined total of $1,246,623.
Black And Bent set an Australian record of 10 consecutive wins
over hurdles before running third to Gotta Take Care and Wells at
Bendigo on June 16 but carried 72kg and conceded 8kg to the winner and
3kg to the runner-up.
Gotta Take Care, who ran third to Brungle Cry in last year’s Grand
National Hurdle, wasn’t suited to the very heavy track at Warrnambool
on June 30 and came second to Wells in the Kevin Lafferty Hurdle (3600
metres).
That event at Warrnambool has set up the mouth-watering clash at Sportingbet Park 8 on Sunday.
