Grand National under fire after death of horses

Grand National under fire after death of horses
AFP

The gruelling Grand National came under renewed fire after the "unacceptable" death of two horses at the notorious Becher's Brook fence prompted passionate calls for a radical safety review.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised and According to Pete were both put down after falling at Becher's Brook, taking the total of fatalities at this year's three-day Aintree meeting to three.

Two horses also died in the 2011 Grand National, leading officials at the course to modify the daunting Becher's challenge.

"The death of two horses at the Grand National, bringing the total to three at the Aintree meeting, is totally unacceptable," Gavin Grant, the chief executive of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) told the BBC.

"In its current format, the risks to horses are not appropriate and we want an urgent examination of the Grand National, including a number of fences such as Becher's Brook, where horses are continuing to die despite safety improvements."

Other animal welfare campaigners blasted Saturday's race as "the worst kind of mob entertainment".

"The Grand National is a disgusting and shameful spectacle masquerading as sport," said Andrew Tyler, the director of Animal Aid.

"For anyone who genuinely cares about horses watching this race was an utterly depressing and melancholy experience."

Synchronised had already shown signs of distress before the race started when the nine-year-old unseated veteran jockey Tony McCoy.

The horse broke away and it was several minutes before animal and jockey were reunited, delaying the start of the race by 10 minutes.

In a damage-limitation exercise, Aintree owners, as well as the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), moved to confront the gathering storm.

Tim Morris, the director of equine science and welfare for the BHA, said: "In both cases the horse incurred a fracture to the leg and the humane option was to put the injured horses down."

He added: "We will examine closely the circumstances which led to both incidents. The key data from these accidents will be collated, as is the BHA's policy in the event of any serious equine injury.

"Each year the BHA and Aintree review all incidents which occur during the Grand National meeting and consider what measures can be taken to address the risk of a repeat in the future."

David Muir, an equine consultant to the RSPCA, told The Guardian that drop fences -- those like Becher's on one side of which the ground is lower than on the other side -- should be removed before next year's race.

"I think the Grand National has a future if it changes and makes the risk factors lower and more acceptable," Muir said.

"If racing is to continue, racing must realise that people are concerned about horse fatalities on racecourses and the impetus to reduce the risk factor has to be greater."

For Synchronised's trainer, Jonjo O'Neill, the drama brought back the awful memory of when he rode Gold Cup winner Alverton in the 1979 National.

That horse also came to grief at Becher's and was also put down.


Two Horses Die At Grand National Steeplechase Including Race Favorite Synchronised

By Radar Staff

Seventy thousand stunned spectators watched in horror as two horses were euthanized Saturday after they suffered terrible falls at the historic Grand National Steeplechase.

Synchronised and According to Pete both went down at the sixth fence, but at different parts of the race, held in the U.K.

“In both cases the horse incurred a fracture to the leg and the humane option was to put the injured horses down,” Tim Morris from the British Horseracing Authority said.

“We will examine closely the circumstances which led to both incidents... and consider what measures can be taken to address the risk of a repeat in the future.”

Synchronised’s jockey Tony McCoy was unseated by his horse before the race causing a delay but after being “thoroughly checked” was given permission to join the line-up.

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This is the second year in a row that two horses have died at the Grand National held at Aintree and organizers had altered the course after last year’s tragedy after pressure from animal rights groups.

The 4½ mile, 30-fence race is considered one of the most challenging in the world.

In the end, Neptune Collonges won the race which drew a crowd of over 70,000 people.

Grand National 2012: investigation into deaths of Synchronised and According To Pete at 'an advanced stage' says BHA
The Telegraph
By Telegraph staff and agencies
15 Apr 2012


Official investigations into the deaths of Synchronised and According To Pete in the John Smith's Grand National are "reasonably advanced" according to the British Horseracing Authority.

The safety of the four-and-a-half-mile contest is once being again being seriously questioned by welfare groups after Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Synchronised fell jumping Becher's Brook on the first circuit and then negotiated several more fences before suffering a broken leg.


According To Pete was brought down at Becher's second time round and also had to be euthanised.


This year's National was the first to be run since an extensive safety review into various elements, leading to a number of changes to fences and race conditions.


The RSCPA have urged further review, particularly into 'drop' fences such as Becher's.


BHA chief executive Paul Bittar said in a statement: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the connections of Synchronised and According To Pete who we know are devastated at the loss of two homebred horses which meant so much to them.

"In November last year, the BHA published the findings from a comprehensive and detailed review of all elements of the Grand National.

"At this stage, we believe it would be premature to suggest that modifications to the course and other changes have not been effective or will not yet prove to be effective.

"Since the Review and the implementation of changes, four races have been held over the course without incident prior to yesterday's running of the Grand National.

"We are reasonably advanced in the process of examining the incidents which led to Synchronised and According To Pete being put down.

"While that process still needs to be completed, it is relevant to point out that although both horses lost their riders jumping Becher's Brook, Synchronised galloped away from the fence seemingly without injury and then subsequently incurred a fracture to a hind leg when jumping riderless, while According To Pete was brought down by another horse on the second circuit.

"We will be collating all the relevant information and data from this year's Grand National meeting so that it can be reviewed in conjunction with the statistics and findings of the Review.

"Initiatives such as speed sensing on the runners in races over the Grand National course will enable BHA and Aintree to make informed decisions based on factual evidence in our efforts to minimise risk where possible.

"The evidence indicates that the changes and improvements in safety made over the years have led to an overall decrease in injury and fatalities, both on the Grand National course and racing in general.

"It is important these matters be judged over a period of time. The decade since 2000 was the safest on record for the Grand National with a fatality rate of 1.5% compared to 3.3% at the start of the 1990s.

"Sadly, there have been two fatalities in each of the last two runnings of the race. Naturally our objective is for there to be no fatalities, but we also recognise that we cannot remove risk altogether from such a competitive activity.

"The Grand National is a unique race and it represents a unique challenge for the sport and for its regulation.

"It is a thrilling spectacle, but there is a higher degree of risk involved in the Grand National than other races and for this reason everyone in the sport needs to be conscious of how the race is presented to the public, the general consumer perception and their views of how the race is run.

"This is an event that generates huge public interest and has a global audience of more than half a billion people. We've seen record crowds of over 150,000 in attendance at Aintree this week, following on from record numbers through the gates to British Racecourses in 2011. All of this suggests that British racing is doing many things right in the eyes of the consumer.

"It is critically important to us that the good work being done in racing is not overshadowed by yesterday's events, and that racing continues to work collectively to develop and maintain this progress.

"In this context, we will be working with Aintree and its owners The Jockey Club, along with other groups in the sport to find the right balance which enables us to maintain the highest standards of safety for our horses and participants and to promote the sport to the widest possible audience."