The three-day annual Grand National Festival culminated on Saturday 15 April 2023 in the Randox National Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap). It was a warm and sunny day at the Aintree Racecourse, in the borough of Sefton in north Liverpool, when forty runners (racehorses) and their riders (jockeys) set off at 5:29 PM on “the world’s most famous horse race”, also the most watched and most popular betting race of the year in Britain- fourteen minutes after the scheduled start time for the event. Inside the two-mile-long “ring of steel” along the perimeter of the racecourse, it was a convivial event, packed with people dressed up for the occasion- the men in suits and ties, and the women in designer dresses and fashionable hats. Outside the racecourse, animal rights activists from Animal Rising in pink T-shirts attempted to climb into the racecourse or to affix themselves to the boundary fences, only to held back by police, security staff, and locals. While the race went ahead as planned, 118 people were arrested for their role in attempting to disrupt the proceedings.
The event marked the 175th time this demanding steeplechase race has been held at Aintree. The Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was first run at Aintree in 1839, after two years at nearby Maghull, becoming the Liverpool and National Steeplechase in 1843 and then the Grand National Handicap Steeplechase in 1847. In its current form, the Grand National comprises two full circuits of a two and a quarter mile course. Sixteen fences are jumped on the first circuit, while fourteen fences are jumped on the second. The Chair, which is the highest fence at 5 foot 2 inches, and the Water Jump, which is the lowest jump at 2 foot 6 inches, are only jumped on the first circuit. The celebrated Becher’s Brook, sixth fence on the first circuit and 22nd fence on the second, is named after Captain Martin Becher, who fell off Conrad at the site while leading the inaugural race in 1839, highlighting the risk of falls to horses and the unseating of their riders.
Each fence consists of a wooden frame, which is covered with green spruce branches brought in from the Lake District. Horses may fall, sustaining serious injuries, or dislodge their riders while trying to clear the fences. This means that several horses either fail to complete the race, or continue sans rider for varying distances in different directions. On occasion, catastrophic injuries, such as to the spine, skull, or pelvis may require emergency euthanasia of the fallen animal.
Animal rights activists are particularly concerned by the numbers of horses that lose their lives at Aintree. This year was no different. Envoyé Special died after falling in the Foxhunters’ Chase on 13 April, while Dark Raven and Hill Sixteen were killed during the closing race. Last year, four horses died at Aintree. In all, 62 horses have been killed at Aintree this century. Over the years, the track length has been shortened to four miles and two furlongs (each furlong being an eighth of a mile), fences have been modified and landing sides of fences levelled, all in an attempt to improve safety and reduce equine deaths but more needs to be done.
Horseracing is but one facet of an equine industry that includes the breeding, training, and veterinary care of horses, the provision of goods and services for horse-owners, and the trading of racehorses with demonstrable potential. Horseracing is a multi-billion-pound industry, propped up by its close links to gambling- the first winner of the Grand National in 1839 was aptly named Lottery. According to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), 6,000 stable staff care for over 20,000 racehorses in Britain, while 20,000 people are employed at 59 licensed racecourses. The BHA estimates that the horseracing industry contributes £4.1 billion to the British economy in direct, indirect, and associated expenditure annually, with particular benefits to rural communities with few opportunities for employment.
The wider horseracing economy has, however, been much criticised in recent times, by animal rights activists in particular. Intensive foaling practices are associated with a high turnover of potential racehorses, with some horses considered financial liabilities and rejected because of behavioural issues, poor performance, illness, and injury. Activists consider it inhumane to keep horses in stables for most of the day, isolated and in close confinement, even as horse owners claim that their charges benefit from “five-star facilities” and loving care. Racehorses, especially two-year-olds with immature skeletons, may be forced to perform beyond their innate physical capabilities. In-race devices, such as leather whips, plastic tongue ties, and metal spurs, add to the cruelty. The illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, and symptom-masking drugs, such as diuretics, has featured in past doping scandals. It doesn’t help that some jockeys have considered racehorses to be “replaceable.” Retired racehorses are often inadequately provided for in their twilight years, many being either euthanised or sent to abattoirs to be turned into horsemeat rather than being cared for in horse sanctuaries.
Whatever the long-term future of horseracing, it is important that animal welfare and in-race safety continue to be prioritised in the shorter term. Transparency in horse breeding and rearing practices can help allay public concerns. Even potentially dangerous sport can be made safer, as seen from the example of Formula One racing. For the moment, it seems that the racing calendar will proceed as planned, even as future events continue to be targeted by animal rights activists.
Ashis Banerjee