MANIFESTO, 5 IS ENOUGH & CHELMSFORD.

If you were asked to name the greatest Grand National horses of all time, who would you put at the top of your list? It takes little imagination to suppose that 99.9% would have Red Rum as a clear winner. And who would argue? I would put Red Rum at the top of my list but not by as wide a margin as you might expect. It is Manifesto who muddies the water. Yes, Red Rum's three Grand National victories are clearly superior to Manifesto's two, yet the latter ran in eight Grand Nationals and was placed numerous times. 1895 may be back in the dark ages but back then the Aintree Grand National took no prisoners and just to finish the race was an achievement in itself.

In 1895, as a seven-year-old, Manifesto finished fourth to Wild Man From Borneo. 19 started, 11 finished. In 1896 our hero was canonned into at the first fence and parted with his jockey. He returned in 1897 to put the record straight, winning by 20-lengths from Filbert who was receiving 24Ibs from Manifesto. They staged the 1898 Grand National without Manifesto as, due to a stable lad's negligence,he hurt himself when escaping from his stable and attempting to jump some iron railings. In 1899, carrying 12st 7Ibs, Manifesto became a dual winner of the Grand National, the first of the then modern age, giving Ford of Fyne 25Ibs and a 5-length beating. In 1900, aged 12, carrying 12st 13Ibs, he finished third to the King's horse, Ambush, beaten 4-lengths and a neck. He attempted to give Ambush, a 6-year-old, 24Ibs, with the third, Barsac, carrying only 9st 12Ibs. Injury again prevented Manifesto from running in the 1901 renewal but aged 14 he was back in 1902, finishing third, carrying 12st 8Ibs, beaten 3-lengths and three-lengths by Shannon Lass, carried 10st 1Ib and Matthew 9st 12Ibs.

If you research the 1903 Grand National, I offer you fair warning. A horse called Drumree looked all over the winner until inexplicably falling on the flat. This is important as the winner of the 1903 Grand National was Drumcree who beat Detail and Manifesto by three-length and twenty, the 15-year-old gave a stone to the winner and 32Ibs to the runner-up. Manifesto was 16 when he made his last appearance in Grand National history finishing last of 8 finishers, giving a stone or more to the seven who passed the line before him.

Now then, taking into account that Manifesto ran in 8 Grand Nationals, won 2 and was placed in 4, was burdened by 12st and more in the majority, never fell apart from when cannoned into in his second National and continued to grace the race until he was 16 - how far ahead of him is Red Rum, all of our idea as the greatest National horse of all ages?

In the near past, Easter Monday might have fifteen race-meetings most years. Now, quite rightly, even though Easter is one of the best dates in the calendar to capture a new audience, there is only 5 this Easter. The present number reflects the number of horses in training and though the B.H.A 'want to do something' with the Easter programme, I would advise them to do as little as is their norm. Fairyhouse fills the roll quite nicely as the quality of the holiday period and though I have little interest in the all-weather, their championships fixtures supplies the necessary quality for what should be a time of peace and reflection for us all.

Anyone who wants a detailed explanation for Chelmeford's temporary or permanant closure should read Lee Mottershead in the Racing Post today. Although he makes it plain that the B.H.A. had no alternative but to abandon the recent 2-day fixture due to the new applicants for the licence to stage racing at the venue are more or less the same people who got Chelmsford into the mess they are in, it does not free the B.H.A. from the cock-up of instructing trainers of what was to happen 10-minutes after declaration time when they could have conveyed the message 10-minutes before declaration time.

The B.H.A. owe the trainers, jockeys and owners who had arranged their Friday and Saturday around the two-day Chelmsford fixture an apology, perhaps even some form of compensation.