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
1948 Grand National Cromwell third and Happy Home fourth. Forty-three horses ran and all returned safely to the stables. 1948 Grand National The 1948 Grand National was the 102nd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 20 March 1948. The race was won by the mare Sheila's Cottage at odds of 66/1. The winning jockey was Arthur Thompson and Neville Crump trained the winner. The pairing of Thompson and Crump won the Grand National again in 1952. Sheila's Cottage became the first mare to win the National for 46 years, and only