[2] One hundred and nine horses were entered the 1986 Grand National of which fifty six stood their ground and declared to run[3] For health and safety reasons only a maximum field of forty could take part so the sixteen entrants given the lowest handicap mark by handicapper, Captain Christopher Mordaunt[4] were balloted out.

These included former competitors, King Spruce, Onapromise and Colonel Christy[3] The previous year's runner up, Mr Snugfit was installed as the 13/2 favourite[5] despite having been injured for a time during the season and having run unimpressively in his last four starts.

[7] The remaining public support was placed in former winners, Corbiere and Last Suspect who would both set off at 14/1 in company of their riders in victory, Ben de Haan and Hywell Davies.

[8] Unusually there were no riders taking part with experience of more than six previous rides in the race with Steve Smith Eccles, on board Classified and Paul Barton, on Fethard Friend both taking their seventh mounts[8] Starter, Michael Sayers was starting his third National and had some difficulty communicating instructions to Czech rider, Vaclav Chalupka, on board the top weight, Essex who did not speak English[9] but still managed to dispatch the forty competitors at the first attempt.

West Tip had cruised up into second place at that point behind the 66/1 outsider, Young Driver with Classified, The Tsarevich and Sommelier the other challengers with Mr Snugfit having dropped back to eighth.

In doing so however the press failed to point out that spectators had been able to watch the race for free if they took position on the country side of the Melling Road in those days while they were now charged admission in the modern era.

The commentary team for the fifteenth consecutive year was John Hanmer, Julian Wilson and lead commentator Peter O'Sullevan who was calling his forty-first Grand National on Radio or Television.