Grand National: BHA condemns protests & announces analysis of horse deaths

The British Horseracing Authority has "robustly condemned" the "reckless" protests astatine Saturday's Grand National.

Three horses died during the three-day meeting, including National runner Hill Sixteen.

The BHA says it volition analyse the races to recognize what caused the deaths.

Animal foundation the RSPCA called connected Britain's equine racing governing assemblage to "review the circumstances of each of the bittersweet deaths astatine Aintree, truthful that we ne'er again exit a 'festival of racing' with 3 dormant horses".

In a statement, BHA main enforcement serviceman Julie Harrington said: "The BHA and Aintree racecourse volition present analyse the races successful painstaking detail, arsenic is the lawsuit each year, to physique connected our existing information and assistance america recognize what caused these incidents."

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She said improvements successful payment standards has seen the decease complaint successful the athletics reduced by a 3rd successful 20 years to 0.2% of runners.

Four horses died astatine the Aintree gathering past year, including 2 injured successful the Grand National, which is the climax of the yearly contention meeting.

There person been 5 deaths from 395 runners successful the 10 Grand Nationals raced since information changes were introduced successful 2012.

Two different horses successful this year's National - Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman - were treated connected people and taken distant by equine ambulance for further assessment, portion Dark Raven was enactment down aft a autumn successful the Turners Mersey Novices' Hurdle earlier connected Saturday.

And connected the archetypal time of the gathering connected Thursday, Envoye Special died aft a autumn erstwhile moving escaped implicit the Grand National fences successful the Foxhunters' Chase.

'Protests volition not diminish National's enduring planetary appeal'

The National started 14 minutes aboriginal than its scheduled commencement clip of 17:15 BST due to the fact that of protesters who gained entree to the track.

The 118 arrests besides included those held earlier the contention connected Saturday greeting and successful narration to a protestation that blocked the M57 motorway.

Climate and carnal rights radical Animal Rising, which earlier demonstrated extracurricular Aintree, claimed connected societal media its supporters entered the way to hold the race.

"We respect the close of anyone to clasp views astir our athletics but we robustly condemn the reckless and perchance harmful actions of a fistful of radical successful disrupting the contention astatine a clip erstwhile horses were successful the parade ring," added Harrington.

"Those progressive successful British racing are rightly arrogant of our athletics and the relation it plays successful providing an unparalleled prime of beingness for horses bred for racing. Love and respect for horses is astatine the bosom of everything we do.

"The Grand National is and ever volition beryllium an iconic sporting lawsuit and the actions of a tiny fig of radical volition bash thing to diminish its immense and enduring planetary appeal."