1981 Grand National 1981 Grand National The 1981 Grand National was the 135th renewal of the Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 4 April 1981. It is remembered for the winning horse Aldaniti, who had recovered from chronic leg problems, and his jockey Bob Champion, who had recovered from cancer. Aldaniti's injuries dated back to 1976, while Champion had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979. However, Aldaniti was nursed back to optimum form ahead of the race, and Champion overcame lengthy hospitalisation and chemotherapy to win the National by a distance of four lengths.
1981 Grand Prix (tennis) Jimmy Connors (USA) 4. José Luis Clerc (Arg) 5. Guillermo Vilas (Arg) 6. Björn Borg (Sue) 7. Roscoe Tanner (USA) 8. Eliot Teltscher (USA) 9. Vitas Gerulaitis (USA) 10. Yannick Noah (Fra) The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name: The following players won their first title in 1981: 1981 Grand Prix (tennis) The 1981 Volvo Grand Prix was the only men's professional tennis circuit held that year. It consisted of the four Grand Slam tournaments and the Grand Prix tournaments. The World Championship Tennis (WCT) Tour was incorporated into the Grand Prix circuit.