The winner was trained in East Hendred, Oxfordshire by Andy Turnell and ran in the black jacket and scarlet cap of his nonagenarian owner, Jim Joel who collected a £64,000 prize.

The public installed him as ante post favourite at a very early stage, despite being burdened with 10 lbs more than in victory the previous year and had been impressive when finishing fourth behind The Thinker at Cheltenham.

[4] The grey, Dark Ivy had come from Ireland to race in Britain this year with impressive results, notching up six victories before being beaten second in the Tote Eider Chase at Newcastle.

Corbiere was the veteran of the field but the 1983 winner was in as good forma fettle as for any of his four previous attempts at the race having finished fourth in the Welsh National four months earlier.

Her second string, the grey, Smith's Man was also very popular at 14/1 and had already proved himself over one circuit of the course when winning the 1985 Topham Chase[5] Lean Ar Aghaidh was the best supported of the mounts of the sixteen debut riders, which included future winners, Brendan Powell and Marcus Armytage.

Steve Knight's mount was featured before the race on Television as a potential fairy tale winner for his owner, ninety-two-year-old Jim Joel, who had been trying to see his colours carried to National victory for thirty years.

Plundering and Smith's Man both held chances at that stage but weakened on the run back towards the racecourse while Lean Ar Aghaidh led the race almost throughout to that point.

[10] The build up, parade and race were still covered, as for every year since 1960, live by the BBC as part of its regular Saturday afternoon Grandstand programme in a Grand National special.

The commentary team for the sixteenth consecutive year was John Hanmer, Julian Wilson and lead commentator Peter O'Sullevan, who was calling his 42nd Grand National on radio or television.

Although questioned by stewards, it was agreed that Attitude Adjuster was a notoriously difficult ride and that no blame could be put on Madden for causing Dark Ivy's fall.

[14] Although the public outcry quickly died down, it has raised the issue of safety at the National to a level of scrutiny that forced Aintree to act after two further fatalities two years later.

[14] The remaining horses and riders returned safely, with the exception of American amateur, William Dixon Stroud who had suffered a broken nose when his mount, Bewley's Hill was brought down by the fatally injured Dark Ivy.