Grand National 2023: Trainer blames delays caused by protesters for horse death

"Ignorant" animal rights protesters are to blame for the death of Hill Sixteen during Saturday's Grand National at Aintree, says the horse's trainer.

The start of the race was delayed by 14 minutes after activists looking to stop it taking place entered the track.

Trainer Sandy Thomson said the delay "unsettled" everyone.

"It was all caused by these so-called animal lovers who are actually ignorant and have absolutely no idea about the welfare of horses," Thomson said.

Hill Sixteen died after falling at the first of 30 fences that make up the steeplechase race of just over four miles. It was the third horse fatality at the three-day meeting.

Police said they arrested 118 people over Saturday's disruption, which saw nine people enter the course.

• What happened in the Grand National and the fallout from it

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Thomson added: "There were quite a lot of the horses buzzed up."

When asked if he had considered withdrawing Hill Sixteen from the race at that point, the Scottish trainer explained: "When they got down to the start, nobody quite knew what was happening.

"The starter wanted to get them off as quickly as possible, then the horses were drawn forward then told to get back.

"One of the other things missing was the parade. I think that gives the horses and the jockeys that couple of minutes to gather their thoughts and that didn't help the situation either."

Climate and animal rights group Animal Rising, who demonstrated outside Aintree, claimed on social media their actions "aimed to prevent" the death of horses.

"The real reason the horse was running the race was so that people could bet on the horse, the jockeys could make money and so people could have a fun day out, and that doesn't seem like a good enough reason to put an animal in harm's way," Ben Newman, a spokesperson for Animal Rising told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We disrupted the race for two reasons. One was to stop the race to stop a horse dying. Two, to have a conversation about our broken relationship back to animals."

The British Horseracing Authority "robustly condemned" the protests, adding it would analyse the races to understand what caused three horse fatalities at the meet.

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington told BBC Sport a "direct parallel" between the interruption and the horse's death could not be drawn, but added: "I will say it certainly cannot have helped".

"Whilst the horses are running, if they're disturbed in any way, it is a really dangerous thing, so we would condemn that action."

Footage appeared to show some protesters making it on to the track and trying to attach themselves to a fence, before being removed by police.

Dozens of others attempted to climb over or glue themselves to security fencing around the track but were led away, with police also confiscating ladders.

After the delay was announced on the racecourse public address system, the 39 participating horses were taken back to the pre-parade ring.

The jockeys were asked to re-mount their rides six minutes after the scheduled start time, with the race starting eight minutes later.

Thomson added that Hill Sixteen was "quite used to the fences" at Aintree having previously finished second in the 2021 Becher Chase and seventh in this season's version of the same race.

As well as the death of Hill Sixteen, Dark Raven was put down earlier on Saturday following a fall during the Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle, while Envoye Special suffered a fatal injury in the Foxhunters' Chase on Thursday.

There have been five fatalities from 395 runners in the 10 Grand Nationals raced since safety changes were introduced in 2012.

"Nobody wants that to happen to their horse but that is what they are bred to do, what they love doing. They wouldn't jump these fences if they didn't want to," Thomson said.

Two other horses in the Grand National - Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman - were treated on course and taken away by horse ambulance for further assessment.

Trainer Willie Mullins told Racing TV that Recite A Prayer will be fine following a "little procedure" on a fractured eye socket sustained when running loose after jockey Jack Foley was knocked off.

Trainer John 'Shark' Hanlon said Cape Gentleman had surgery on Sunday for a severed tendon and will head to the United States to spend his retirement with owner Pierre Manigault.

Thomson said the number of horses falling in the race "point to the fact" they were unsettled by the delay.

"If we look at the last nine years since the course has been modified there's been an average of under two fallers at the first two fences," he said.

"This year everyone got very uptight about it - horses, jockeys - and there were eight fallers at those first two fences.

"We as a sport are continually moving forward, we're continually trying to make the sport safer."

RSPCA calls for horse racing reforms

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has called for reform into the size of the field that races in the Grand National.

Seventeen of the 39 runners completed the course on Saturday.

"One of the things we see part at the Grand National is a big field so lots of horses running together so that causes issues when horses fall and can get in the way of other horses and cause accidents in that way," said Emma Slawinski, director of policy, prevention and campaigns at the RSPCA.

In 2012 changes were made to the Aintree course following a safety review.

This included moving the start 90 yards closer to the first fence to help slow the speed the horses arrive at it. The start has also been moved further away from the crowd to reduce noise that can distract the horses.

Some of the fences were also redesigned, with a reduction of between four and five inches to the drop on the landing of Becher's Brook among the changes.

Changes to the fences' core material were also introduced, with a plastic centre replacing the wooden stakes which traditionally supported the structure of the fences to make them more flexible and less likely to cause dangerous falls when hit by horses.

"The BHA and the Jockey Club are continually in contact with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare," Thomson said.

"If you look back 20 years ago and you look at the fences there has been huge modification.

"Two of the considerations are there could be a shorter run to the first fence and a few less horses. Those are obvious things that may be considered."

The RSPCA also wants "very urgent" reform on the use of the whip in horse racing as a method to encourage horses to run faster.

"We know that actually causes more accidents and makes accidents more likely, injuries more likely so we would like to see that reform happen as well," Slawinski told the Today programme.

Earlier this year, changes were made to rules on the use of whips in British racing which reduced the number of times the whip is permitted by one - to seven in jumps races and six in flat races, with jockeys facing suspension for going above that limit and their horse being disqualified if they go four or more over the threshold.

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