NO-HEADLINE

DON'T FENCE ME IN: it started on time, came to an exciting finish and was won by the favourite. After last year's IRA bomb hoax and the non-starting fiasco five years ago, the 1998 Grand National was just what the doctor ordered - although the police later confirmed that they had ignored eight "uncoded" bomb warnings. A darker note came later, when it was announced that three horses died.

The winner was 7-1 favourite, Earth Summit, ridden by Carl Llewellyn. But fortunes were mixed: only six of the 37 starters completed the course, with Him of Praise, the fancied mount of crack Irish jockey Charlie Swan (above), among the failures.

Around 70,000 racegoers streamed into Aintree and 1,500 police officers and security guards presided over what was almost certainly Britain's most-policed sporting event. The level of security was matched by record betting: the Tote said pounds 70m was wagered on the race.

Reports in Sport, Section 2