Champions (1984 film) Champions (1984 film) Champions is a 1984 film based on the true story of jockey Bob Champion. It is directed by John Irvin, produced by Peter Shaw, written by Evan Jones, and stars John Hurt, Edward Woodward and Jan Francis. The film is based on the true story of Bob Champion (portrayed by John Hurt), who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979. After treatment with an operation to remove the diseased testicle and chemotherapy, Champion recovered and went on to win the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti. In 1984, John Irvin was nominated for a Golden Bear Award at
1924 Grand National 1924 Grand National The 1924 Grand National was the 83rd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 28 March 1924. A false start caused the race to be delayed by around eight minutes. 1924 was the last year the Grand National would be started from a general riding start, with the now-familiar 'tape' introduced at the line the following year. The race was won by Master Robert, a 25/1 shot ridden by jockey Bob Trudgill and trained by Aubrey Hastings for owner Lord Airlie, who collected the £5,000 prize