The BBC Grand National 1998 - Earth Summit

[@MEECHIO]

Earth Summit was always going very well and won easily on his preferred heavy ground. Great run again from Sunny Bay to finish runner up fro the second consecutive year, this time under top weight of 12 stone.

[@Adare300]

.. Aaaaaaa

[@DUCSDREAM]

What a horse!!He won three NationalsGrand,Welsh and Scottish,a feat unlikely to ever be repeated.He was part owned by a distant relative,ALL my close relatives along with many many friends backed him and that night we had a party to remember for ever.He was given to his groom who absolutely loved him at the end of his career.God bless Digger!!

[@chatham43]

...thanks for the background info..

[@matthewturner2803]

I believe he is the only horse to have won the Grand, Scottish and Welsh Nationals.

[@eddabbs8690]

Two big national winners for me in my life. Earth Summit was my second big one. Corbierre was my first (I'm not a tipster 🙄). I've had a few each ways come in over the years. But these two stand out as the ones I could properly celebrate!!

[@TheMeepUsesTheDefiniteArticle]

Earth Summit, what a legend. Although arguably Suny Bay is the real hero here! Carrying nearly 2 stone more than he did to finish second in 1997, and still put up a great showing in horrible conditions. What a horse

[@diabeticfridge2930]

What a horse Suny Bay was too

[@gazowenowen250]

My first national winner but SUNY bay lumping that weight around that ground what a run

[@MILESnomore]

war of attrition that year and only one conceivable winner - Earth Summit who stayed all day and completed the ENG , WELSH and SCOTTISH GRAND NATIONALS.. might be the only one ever to do that .. SUNY BAY was brilliant, second two years in a row .. and saddled with top weight, two gr8 old superstar horses .. think only 5 finished.. walking pace at end

[@ysgol3]

Brilliant winner, and Sunny Bay, second twice, was fantastic too.

[@derekbunten519]

Must have the nationals of 92, 95, 96, 97, 99, 06, 07, 08, can't find them anywhere, all the reviews but not the races

[@eddiehitler8257]

I missed this National and had never seen it in it's entirety. Have to say it's a grim spectacle. I can't recall much outrage at the time but I think the Animal Rights brigade would go nuts these days. And I'm a massive racing fan.

[@pykessports]

Yea I was against the changes but looking back it wouldn't last 2minutes. The new races are more fun to watch in a way. 10 horses in with a chance last fence.

[@dartagnion1]

@@pykessports Everyone is entitled to an opinion but the drama has been taken away from this race.It's now just like watching a carousel at a fairground!

[@johnjoyce341]

The Grand national used to be a magnificent race

[@waqarkhan25]

this was Jim Mcgrath first commenting on the national as the lead commentator

[@MILESnomore]

he is brilliant

[@waqarkhan25]

@@MILESnomore yea he was sham thought we here from again he now retired from commenting but presented horse racing from all of the uk race course well not quit only the one that are on ATR now Sky Sports horse racing

[@wayevs]

Don't think this horse gets enough plaudits . I remember the race fondly as I backed both earth summit and Suny bay (ew) I knew after the 2nd last I couldn't lose! What a horse though Scottish , Welsh and Grand nationals , no other horse in history and a becher chase. Without doubt one of the best stayers in history. Yet he never gets a mention.

[@MILESnomore]

I bet them both too, SUNY BAY - best horse in the race and ES .. best stayer (in the mud) ever??

[@PaulGibbons13]

Hi great race once again a big thank you for uploading :-)

[@chatham43]

...thats OK...glad you're enjoying them...sad to say I don't really enjoy the race so much these days...the character of the race has changed so much in the last few years...

[@PaulGibbons13]

Hi I do agree the fences are much smaller now safer for the horses which is great but there is no character in the race. Beechers now is a joke it looks smaller than ever now.

[@PaulGibbons13]

The races of the 70's and early 80's had style and class now to tell the truth the Great race of old means nothing now which is a great shame.

[@PaulGibbons13]

But I still love to watch any grand nationals that you upload once again a big thank you :-) 

[@whichypoohs]

Great Race…..really ?

[@richardb1092]

While 1998, the fences seemed bigger because of the heavy ground, they were modified in 1990. Today the race is nothing more than another long distance chase and arguably the softest fences in the UK

[@dawnkeir549]

As long as horses are safe

[@Tony-sh7hl]

The fences getting lower makes the horses go faster so more horses die

[@carmelvaughan5271]

@@Tony-sh7hl talking rubbish, fences are not smaller they are not as stiff as used to be, spruce is added that horses can displace. Also ground will never be quicker than good to soft slowing the horses down. This is in agreement with RSPCA and Racing Welfare to ensure safer conditions. Only 1 horse (sadly) has died from the 2013 to 2019 Grand Nationals out of nearly 280 runners

[@Tony-sh7hl]

@@carmelvaughan5271 if you do your research the height of the fences have been cut down a few inches and in recent times course times are faster the before 1990

[@carmelvaughan5271]

Race is 350 yards approximately SHORTER you research that, also fences ARE same height just redesigned so easier to jump.

[@mark8364]

Had a very, very decent win that year! Earth Summit loved the mud and it rained all week before the race! Had bets ranging from 25/1 when the weights came out through to 7/1 on race day!

[@gary1961]

I'm hoping for lots of rain all this week over Aintree to slow the field down and make it more of a stamina test in heavy going.

[@mark8364]

@@gary1961 This weeks national throws up one question....who is going to place behind Cloth Cap?

[@gary1961]

@@mark8364 That is as short as 7/2 on some lists. No value in that, especially in the National.

[@mark8364]

@@gary1961 Absolutely right, no value, but I cant see anything to beat Cloth Cap

[@Wattingers]

I was in the betting shop that day. When the rain poured down at Aintree, the 33-1 mud-loving outsider Earth Summit's price tumbled rapidly to 20s then 16s then 12s then 10s then 7-1F......I could see what was happening and I didn't have a bean on it!!

[@carmelvaughan5271]

Earth Summit was not 33/1 on the day was 25/1 on monday and backed down to single figures by saturday. 10/1 was top price saturday morning. Can even check wikipedia to confirm. 33/1 pmsl

[@paulyeomans850]

If is a big word!

[@michaeljohnson5365]

If Suny Bay had carried 11 stone instead of 12 stone he would have won this race by 15-20 lengths

[@johnshort5003]

Yes and you could say exactly the same for Crisp.

[@jocelynquilnet7453]

#BBCGRANDSTAND EARTH SUMMIT TO HARD WHIP 🇬🇧

[@andrewnelis9791]

Earth summit now theres a memory

[@Pompey_blue]

My 1st bet ever my grandad let me pick a horse I was 9 and chose suny bay. Hooked ever since

[@dariusnikbin1695]

Comin' at me bro? Dodgehorse? That's the ultimate challenge... The Cointreau masters... Sack-of-spuds on horseback... That's sasquatch! DCN

[@rorym1967]

Great race

[@davidattwell2574]

I backed earth summit in the sweepstake down the fox and hounds pub when I was 21 🦊😊😁

[@davidcole2078]

In December of that year Sunny Bay beat Earth Summit on level weights at Haydock, 4th was Lord Gyllene and last of the 5 was the serial loser Quixall Crossett who was sent off at 500/1

[@davidkent8606]

Ah, the legend Quixall Crossett, he may have been a loser, but racing fans loved him, he use to get a big cheer just for finishing a race.

[@markperryman1797]

@@davidkent8606 loved Quixall Crossett, think the owners had horse called Potato Man as well, big prices all the time they ran, a horse called Mad Moose was a character, started and refused jumps races when he felt like it, he ran on the flat one day at York, never came out the stalls lol. There was a horse in the early/mid 1990s called Arcadian Heights who liked biting horses and jockeys legs during races, footage on KZbin hilarious.....

[@メーメーマシン]

0:15

[@whichypoohs]

so poor Do Rightly ran his heart out and was killed early on…..as they jumped beeches there was no-one attending the stricken horse….disgusting cruelty

[@richardb1092]

horse welfare has rightly improved over the last 30-years. If you want to ensure no deaths, then you cannot be pro Grand National. I am pro Grand National but only with a test of jumping not today's softer fences. I dont want to see horses kick the guts out of the fences. I want to see danger and jumping as it was intended. Put the birch back in, restore the heights and ditches, bring back the parade and 4 and a half miles. Only that way we will have a breeding industry for NH racing. And for those flat bred speedy horses aimed at the GN, go for 2m handicaps on the flat.For the record, 61,62,63,64,65,66,69,71,72,74,76,80,81,82,85,86 and 88 - stiff fences, big fields and no fatalities.

[@whichypoohs]

Richard B … as YOU said; "Racing INDUSTRY." Why don't YOU jump the damned fences then?

[@TheGiantKillers]

Cherry picking. Something had to change to keep the National going in the 21st century. The fences is a little bit of a red herring. It's running the race in April on fast ground that does the damage. It should be run in March when the ground is softer, and safer. 2001 for example. As for the fences being easier. I helped build them in 2007 and can assure any National fan, they only difference is the core being plastic instead of wood. The horses who jump them today are better quality.

[@ciaranphillips9541]

yet you watched it?

[@johnjoyce341]

@@TheGiantKillers nonsense.Look at the National now and look at the fences.Theyre very different fences.A lot smaller

[@shaunspadah5790]

Incredibly bad field

[@tipster-challenge]

terrible commentary, missed mentitoning so many horsees that had fallen in the race

[@MegaMusicman34]

great to see so many horses die this year

[@dawnkeir549]

is that a joke so very not funny

[@babaza1972]

Twat!

[@ritchie93]

At about 4 mins these two jockeys are having a ball chatting to each other, wonder if it's about the horse that died at the 4th or the horse screaming in agony with the broken leg? Sickest thing I've ever seen, this race should never be run

[@DarthCipient]

Don't be fucking ridiculous.

[@anotherblonde]

Only one of the three deaths, that of Pashto at the first fence, was as a direct result of a fall at a fence. The vet reported that Do Rightly suffered a heart attack on takeoff at the fourth fence while Griffins Bar suffered a broken shoulder while galloping and not while jumping a fence. Only sure thing in life is death hope you're getting on with your bucket list.

[@ikilledosama88]

Nobody likes to see horses die, they are all heroes. However, if you can't take horses dying you have no business even watching horse racing...