On a day when the drama and danger of the world’s most famous steeplechase appeared to purr in perfect synchronicity, two moments quickly became burnt into the memory. The stillness of Derek Fox’s riding amidst the mayhem of a Grand National even more brazenly chaotic than usual before sending 8-1 favourite Corach Rambler into glory. But also the extraordinary sight of dozens of animal rights activists using ladders to climb into Aintree’s grounds, trying not only to sabotage the race, but the hearts and minds of those watching too.
For anyone who sits uneasily on the fence when it comes to racing, the 175th National really did have pretty much everything: sorrow, suffering, glory and pain. But it was especially hard to ignore the suffering, in the grim knowledge that two more horses had died on National Hunt racing’s biggest day, including Hill Sixteen after an horrific fall on the first fence.
