The 1982 Grand National (officially known as ''
The Sun'' Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 136th running of the
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
horse race that took place at
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...
near
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, England, on 3 April 1982.
The race was won by 7/1 favourite
Grittar
Grittar (1973 - 1998) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing.
In 1982 he won the Grand National as the 7/1 favourite being ridden by amateur jockey Dick Saunders, who at the age of 48 became, and remains, ...
, ridden by amateur Dick Saunders, who at the age of 48 became, and remains, the oldest jockey to have won the Grand National.
Saunders retired after the race and became chairman of the Aintree stewards. Grittar finished fifth in the next year's National and 10th in 1984. The horse retired to his owner's Rutland base and died aged 25.
The race was also notable for being the first in which a female jockey, Geraldine Rees, completed the course. She rode Cheers to be the eighth and last of the finishers.
Leading contenders
Grittar was installed as a 7/1 favourite on the day of the race, due mostly to the Cheltenham and Liverpool Foxhunter Chase double in 1981 The victory at Liverpool was enough for him to get the support of
BBC Radio Two commentator,
Peter Bromley
Peter Bromley (30 April 1929 – 3 June 2003) was BBC Radio's voice of horse racing for 40 years, and one of the most famous and recognised sports broadcasters in the United Kingdom.
Early life
Born at Heswall on the Wirral (then in Cheshire) ...
though several newspaper pundits expressed concern at the horse's being a hunter chaser. Forty-eight-year-old amateur rider Dick Saunders told trainer Frank Gilman to employ the services of a professional rider,
Peter Scudamore
Peter Scudamore MBE (born 29 June 1958), often known as 'Scu', is a former jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was an eight-time Champion Jockey (including one title shared with John Francome), riding 1,678 winning horses in his c ...
for the big race, but Gilman insisted Saunders take the ride if fit. His age and amateur status did little to deter the betting public although leading professional gambler, Alex Bird exclaimed "I immediately pencilled him in for the '82 National, but I'm not happy about the jockey - I'll be keeping my money in my pocket." In preparation for the National, he won at a canter at Leicester before finishing a creditable sixth in the
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...
.
Finishing order
Non-finishers
Media coverage
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