1997 Grand National 1997 Grand National The 1997 Grand National (known officially as the Martell Grand National and also informally as the Monday National) was the 150th official running of the Grand National steeplechase held at Aintree near Liverpool, Merseyside. The race was scheduled to be run on Saturday 5 April 1997, but was postponed by two days to Monday 7 April after a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb threat forced the evacuation of the course. The race was won in a time of nine minutes and 5.9 seconds and by a distance of 25 lengths by New Zealand-bred Lord Gyllene at
1836 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase present course record. The race was a selling race and its status as an official Grand National was revoked some time between 1862 and 1873. The race was started at 2pm over a course almost identical to the modern Grand National course, although the fences were all no more than high earth banks with the exceptions of two brooks and a water jump in front of the stands. Despite this at least three of the runners had to be put at the first fence for a second time after refusing. None of the ten riders are known to have been