Aldaniti, the horse, on which Bob Champion won the Grand National, portrayed himself in the movie.
The lucky horseshoe, given to Champion (Sir John Hurt) by Jo (Jan Francis), and later carried in his boot during the Grand National, was the original one once worn by Bob Champion, who was an advisor on this movie.
The Grand National climax combines filmed footage with real footage of the 1983 Grand National. This real footage shows Royal Mail, the horse that finished third to Aldaniti, falling at Becher's Brook.
Aldaniti almost fell at the very first fence going over too fast and misjudging take-off. His nose physically scraped the grass before he recovered and continued to win. Aldaniti made a second Grand National attempt in 1982 but along with nine other horses, fell at the first and was then retired from racing.