A horse has died after falling during this year's Grand National race.
Hill Sixteen fell during the opening stages of the race at Aintree and suffered fatal injuries. The 10-year-old was being ridden by jockey Ryan Mania.
A Jockey Club spokesperson said: "Sadly, while racing in the Grand National, Hill Sixteen sustained an unrecoverable injury. Our sincere sympathies are with connections."
READ MORE: Grand National 2023: Results as Corach Rambler wins famous Aintree race
Two other horses, Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman, were checked by vets having also failed to finish the race, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
The spokesperson added: "Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman were assessed on course by our skilled veterinary staff and walked onto the horse ambulance for further assessment in the stables."
A total of 17 of the 39 horses who went to post finished the Grand National, with the favourite Corach Rambler winning in front of Vanillier in second and Gaillard Du Mesnil in third place.
Hill Sixteen is the third horse to die at the Grand National festival. Earlier this afternoon, a horse named Dark Raven fell in the 3pm Mersey Novices' Hurdle race and had to be put down, following a fatal injury for Envoye Special on Thursday.
The Grand National was delayed from its 5:15pm start time after animal rights protestors made it onto the racecourse. Police made nine arrests while the start of the race was delayed by 14 minutes.
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.
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