THE INCIDENTS WHICH led to the deaths of two horses during this year’s Aintree Grand National could not have been foreseen or prevented, a review by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) found.
Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised, owned by JP McManus, and Peter Nelson’s According to Pete were both put down following falls during the race, which was won by 33/1 shot Neptune Collonges.
The deaths raised further questions about course safety and the humanity of the world-famous race which has been run 165 times since 1839, and the BHA subsequently promised a full review.
A number of changes were made to the Aintree course to make it safer following the death of two other horses, Dooneys Gate and Ornais, in 2011. Jamie Stier, Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation for the BHA, said that it is too soon to say whether further changes will now be required ahead of the 2013 renewal.
The BHA has also written to all 40 riders to express its disappointment at the haphazard manner in which the race was started. There was a lengthy delay when Synchronised unseated jockey AP McCoy and had to be retrieved, followed by two false starts as the jockeys failed to obey the starter’s orders at the tape.
“In the case of both Synchronised and According To Pete, it was apparent that factors one could neither have foreseen nor prevented were prevalent in the events that led to the two horses sustaining their injuries,” Stier said.
“In relation to the start, we reviewed the television footage and members of the Starting team gave their views. We found that in the course of the three occasions on which the field lined up before the race was underway all forty riders appeared to be in breach of the Rules, in that they either lined up prior to being instructed to do so, or lined up despite being instructed not to do so.
“However, taking into account the mitigating circumstances caused by the delay to the start of the race, firstly Synchronised getting loose which was then compounded by the complications experienced with re-setting the starting tape, it has been decided that no disciplinary action will be taken. Instead we have written to each of the riders expressing both the BHA and Aintree’s disappointment with their conduct at the start.
At this stage, it remains too early to speculate as to whether any changes will be made to the Grand National; either to the start or to other aspects. Naturally, we will be liaising closely with Aintree in collating and examining all relevant evidence from this year’s meeting.While the focus of attention is inevitably on the Grand National, it should not be forgotten that throughout the three days Aintree staged top class and highly competitive jump racing under near perfect conditions. The course deserves considerable credit for implementing the changes recommended in the 2011 Review to such good effect and for the overall success of the meeting.”
