A horse has died on Grand National Day at Aintree Racecourse this afternoon.
Dark Raven fell in the 3pm Mersey Novices' Hurdle on Saturday. The horse was being ridden by Paul Townend and came down at the seventh hurdle.
It was confirmed after the race that the Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old had to be put down after being assessed by vets at the course. Dark Raven had previously run at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
LATEST UPDATES: Grand National results and reaction from every race at Aintree
GRAND NATIONAL: Meet the woman crowned Style Award winner on Ladies Day
Jockey Townend is being checked ahead of his ride on Gaillard Du Mesnil in the Grand National at 5:15pm.
Dark Raven is the second horse to die at the three-day Grand National Festival, with Envoye Special having suffered a fatal injury while running in the Foxhunters’ Chase on Thursday.
In the last decade, British Racing has invested more than £20m into veterinary activities including research and education. The governing body also has self-imposed and enforced welfare standards which they say exceed national animal welfare legislation.
READ NEXT
Supercomputer predicts Grand National 2023 result with 66/1 tip for big race
Top tipsters pick Grand National winner and 1-2-3-4 for Aintree showpiece
Grand National result predicted by ChatGPT as big favourite tipped to win
Grand National 2023 confirmed 39 runners for after horse withdrawn
Grand National 2023: Which grey horses are running and what are their odds?
