[1][3] Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Garrison Savannah looked likely to go on and win when he jumped the 30th and final fence, four lengths clear of his nearest challenger, 11-year-old Seagram.

Under Peter Scudamore the horse had previously won the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow in 1988 and '89 but had pulled up in the most recent renewal when partnered by Hywel Davies.

[5] Garrison Savannah came to Aintree bidding to be only the second horse ever, and the first for over half a century to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same year.

Rinus shared co second favourite spot with Garrison Savannah at 7/1, largely on the back of an impressive performance when finishing third in the previous year's race.

In company of Neale Doughty, himself a winning rider in 1984 he was going very well, moving up to dispute the lead when he crashed through the twentieth fence and fell, being met with a huge gasp from the crowd in the stands.

[6] Bigsun was another who had performed well in the National the previous year to finish sixth and with former winning rider Richard Dunwoody in the saddle, was well backed to improve on that at 9/1.

Seagram was naturally popular among coincidence backers who noted the horse carried the name of the sponsors though his price of 12/1 had more to do with his recent victory in the Ritz Club Chase at Cheltenham.

His detractors pointed to the horse being the smallest in the field as well as being partnered with the relatively inexperienced Nigel Hawke, one of fourteen riders making the National debut.

His rider Nigel Hawke admitted to being overawed by the attention victory brought and later claimed that he had settled for second place when jumping the final fence.

The Television commentary team was unchanged for the twentieth consecutive year in John Hanmer, Julian Wilson and lead commentator, Peter O'Sullevan who was calling his forty-sixth Grand National.