The last Grand National race?

Twice in the 1960s the big race was billed as "the last Grand National" and its future was in doubt until 20 years ago when the Racecourse Holdings Trust got together with Seagram. Facilities then, like the prize money, were dire. Forget those memorable triumphs from the grand national 1970s and early 1980s, by such famous horses as Red Rum, Rubstic, Aldaniti, Grittar and Corbiere; the place was a toilet. There have been serious setbacks as recently as 1993, when the race was abandoned after two false starts. This was "the race that never was" because some runners completed two circuits of the track after the recall system failed.