No horses fall during Grand National after safety changes made

Eleanor Barlow, PA

Safety changes to the Grand National saw the highest number of horses cross the finish line since 1992.

Aintree racecourse said no horses fell and 21 out of 32 finished the race, with I Am Maximus ridden by Paul Townend coming in first.

A number of changes were put in place by organisers after last year’s race was delayed when protesters made their way onto the track.

Seven horses were pulled up and four unseated their riders, but none of them fell in the race on Saturday, a spokesperson for the racecourse said.

Mac Tottie was attended to by veterinary professionals and taken for further assessment.

This year’s race was held at the earlier time of 4pm, which organisers hoped would “ensure optimal conditions” on the track.

Other changes included a reduced field of horses, a standing start, a reduction in height to one of the fences, and added foam and rubber toe boards on every fence.

The Jockey Club, which runs the course, said the changes were not a result of the protests but were “data-driven” and followed an assessment of recent Grand Nationals.

Orla Coghlan, from Animal Rising, said: “A horse may not have died during this race, yet one is killed every other day in British racing, and that’s just the public face of the industry.

“People are becoming more aware of the cruelty of horse racing, and we are relying on public pressure to help us take this ‘sport’ off our screens, and consign it to the history books.”

The race was hailed as one of the best ever by former winning jockeys.

AP McCoy said: “It was the most wonderful finish. I’ve never seen so many horses in with a chance of winning the Grand National so late in the race. What an incredible race – just a brilliant spectacle.”

Ruby Walsh, who won the Grand National twice, added: “If that doesn’t convince people that this is a wonderful sport then I don’t know what will.”

The winner of last year’s race, Corach Rambler, failed to claim victory for a second time on Saturday, unseating jockey Derek Fox at the first fence.

Paul Binfield, spokesperson for bookmaker Paddy Power, said: “Around 20 seconds and Corach Rambler taking an unfortunate tumble at the first saved us over £5 million.

“The winner was spotted by many punters, but despite that, the bookies have had a result.”