Grand National winner forgotten as controversy dominates 'horror show'
Will anyone remember the name of this year's Grand National winner after one of the race's most controversial years?
Millions of viewers were glued to their TVs as Scottish nine-year-old Corach Rambler won the 4-mile Grand National Chase at Liverpool’s Aintree course. But it’s not the winning thoroughbred or his jockey Derek Fox who dominated coverage of Saturday’s steeplechase, but rather the death of Hill Sixteen, an experienced 10-year-old who fell at the first fence and was euthanised.
The bay gelding was the third horse to succumb to the Grand National Festival in 2013. Dark Raven took a heavy fall on Saturday and Envoye Special took a fatal tumble two days earlier during the Foxhunters Chase.
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Critics have labelled the gruelling race a "horror show". More than 118 protesters were arrested by police on Saturday, following a disruption by Animal Uprising.
Using ladders, dozens of activists scaled a perimeter fence, while six others used glue and lock-on devices to glue themselves to a jump. The action delayed the race, for 14 minutes resulting in trainer Sandy Thomson controversially blaming the disruption for Hill Sixteen’s death.
“He just hasn't taken off at the first fence; he's got so bloody hyper because of the carry-on,” she told Racing Post. Only 17 of the 39 runners finished the race.
Call for Grand National to be banned after horse deaths
Following Hill Sixteen’s death, RSPCA England and Wales called on the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to review “each of the sad deaths” that occurred at Aintree. There have been 36 deaths at the festival since 2010, according to animal rights group PETA which has called for the race to be put "out to pasture".
Organisers have responded to pressure by attempting to improve safety by modifying jumps and stepping up veterinary supervision. “As a sport we have for years shown great determination and commitment to improve welfare standards by taking measured scientific, evidence-based, regulatory and education-based steps,” BHA chief executive Julie Harrington said.
Grand National horse deaths
2022 - Eclair Surf, Discorama, Elle Est Belle, Solwara One.
2021 - The Long Mile, Houx Gris.
2020 - Cancelled due to Covid-19.
2019 - Up For Review, Forest des Aigles, Crucial Role.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports Australia, from Melbourne, Kristin Leigh from the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses said watching Saturday's Grand National left her speechless. “It was a horror show,” she later added.
With more horses not finishing the race than completing it, Leigh questioned how the gruelling race could be permitted. “It’s just hard to believe that it can still continue,” she said.
In Australia, jumps racing are becoming less frequently run. South Australia banned them in 2022, following the lead of NSW, after the RSPCA consistently raised animal welfare concerns.
"The community and the racing industry gave up on jumps racing some time ago and the parliament is reflecting this change in attitudes," SA environment minister Susan Close said in July. Victoria is the only jurisdiction that continues to routinely hold the events.
Leigh said her group plans to protest at Warrnambool’s Racing Carnival in regional Victoria on May 4. Its Grand Annual runs for an exhausting 5,500 metres and has 33 obstacles, more than double the Grand National’s 16.
“It’s the most gruelling race in Australia,” she said. “Thirty-one horses have died at the Warrnambool track since 2005 in jumps races alone, and 14 at the May carnival specifically.”
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