The 1978 Grand National (officially known as The Sun Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 132nd renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 1 April 1978. In a close finish between the leading five horses, the winner was Lucius, by about half a length.
| Grand National | |
| Location | Aintree |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 April 1978 |
| Winning horse | Lucius |
| Starting price | 14/1 |
| Jockey | Bob Davies |
| Trainer |  Gordon W. Richards |
| Owner | Fiona Whitaker |
| Conditions | Good |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 The 1978 Grand National in full BBC | |
| The 1978 Grand National British Movietone |
There coming to the elbow now with just over a furlong to run, and it's Lucius and Bob Davies now just taking a fresh advantage, The Pilgarlic running fast on the far side but it's Lucius from Sebastian as they race into the closing stages, Lucius from Sebastian with Drumroan putting in a tremendous finish, but at the line, Lucius wins the National!
Commentator Peter O'Sullevan describes the climax of the 1978 National
Three times winner Red Rum was declared out of the race due to injury, but was allowed to lead the post parade.
Finishing order
edit| Position | Name | Jockey | Age | Handicap (st-lb) | SP | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lucius | Bob Davies | 9 | 10-9 | 14/1 | |
| 02 | Sebastian V | Ridley Lamb | 10 | 10-1 | 25/1 | |
| 03 | Drumroan | Gerry Newman | 10 | 10-0 | 50/1 | |
| 04 | Coolishall | Martin O'Halloran | 9 | 10-0 | 16/1 | |
| 05 | The Pilgarlic | Richard Evans | 10 | 10-1 | 33/1 | |
| 06 | Mickley Seabright | Peter Brookshaw | 10 | 10-3 | 33/1 | |
| 07 | Lord Browndodd | John Francome | 10 | 10-7 | 16/1 | |
| 08 | The Songwriter | Bryan Smart | 9 | 10-0 | 50/1 | |
| 09 | Roman Bar | Pat Kiely | 9 | 10-8 | 33/1 | |
| 10 | Brown Admiral | John Burke | 9 | 10-0 | 33/1 | |
| 11 | Golden Whin | Steve Holland | 8 | 10-4 | 50/1 | |
| 12 | Tamalin | Graham Thorner | 11 | 11-2 | 25/1 | |
| 13 | Lean Forward | James Evans | 12 | 10-0 | 33/1 | |
| 14 | Nereo | Mark Floyd | 12 | 10-0 | 66/1 | |
| 15 | Never Rock | Kevin Mooney | 9 | 10-0 | 50/1 |
Non-finishers
edit| Fence | Name | Jockey | Age | Handicap (st-lb) | Starting price | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Cornish Princess | Richard Hoare | 10 | 10-1 | 66/1 | Fell |
| 01 | Otter Way | Jeff King | 10 | 10-10 | 16/1 | Fell |
| 01 | Teddy Bear II | Philip Blacker | 11 | 10-4 | 50/1 | Fell |
| 02 | Hidden Value | Tommy Stack | 10 | 10-0 | 25/1 | Fell |
| 03 | War Bonnet | Dessie Hughes | 10 | 10-8 | 50/1 | Fell |
| 04 | Sadale VI | Clive Candy | 11 | 10-1 | 66/1 | Fell |
| 06 | Gleaming Rain | Sean Treacy | 10 | 10-0 | 25/1 | Fell |
| 06 | Henry Hall | Frank Berry | 9 | 10-0 | 66/1 | Fell |
| 06 | Tied Cottage | Tommy Carberry | 10 | 11-4 | 9/1 | Fell |
| 08 | Irish Tony | Dennis Atkins | 10 | 10-0 | 33/1 | Fell |
| 08 | Master H | Reg Crank | 9 | 11-2 | 10/1 | Saddle slipped |
| 10 | Double Negative | Colin Tinkler | 8 | 10-0 | 33/1 | Fell |
| 10 | Shifting Gold | Bob Champion | 9 | 11-6 | 16/1 | Fell |
| 10 | So | Niall Madden | 9 | 10-4 | 14/1 | Fell |
| 11 | Burrator | John Suthern | 9 | 10-0 | 66/1 | Fell |
| 11 | Master Upham | Paul Barton | 10 | 10-0 | 25/1 | Fell |
| 11 | Silkstone | Glenn Graham | 10 | 10-0 | 66/1 | Fell |
| 13 | Double Bridal | Bill Smith | 7 | 10-1 | 50/1 | Fell |
| 15 | Churchtown Boy | Martin Blackshaw | 11 | 10-0 | 14/1 | Fell |
| 19 | April Seventh | Andy Turnell | 12 | 10-11 | 20/1 | Refused |
| 21 | Rag Trade | Jonjo O'Neill | 12 | 11-3 | 8/1 F | Pulled Up |
| 22 | Harban | Joe Byrne | 9 | 10-0 | 66/1 | Unseated Rider |
Media coverage and aftermath
editDavid Coleman was back presenting the special edition of Grandstand after missing the previous year's broadcast. The 1976 winner Rag Trade pulled up lame before the 22nd fence and was later euthanized.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "Grand National Anorak |". freewebs.com. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "1978 & 1979 – The Grand National & Aintree 1970-79". Seventiesnationals.webs.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
- ^ Peters, Stewart; Parkin, Bernard (2005). The Grand National : the history of the Aintree spectacular. History Press Limited. ISBN 0-7524-3547-7.
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