A horse has been put down today (Thursday) following an injury at the Grand National meeting in Aintree. Envoye Special was injured after unseating his rider on the opening day of the major event in the racing calendar.
The race was the only one of the day on the Grand National course, the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase for amateur riders. The horse was being ridden by James King until the ninth fence, the one before the famed Becher’s Brook.
The nine-year-old continued without his rider, but was injured when falling at one of the subsequent fences, reports MirrorOnline. After being assessed by Aintree’s on-course veterinary team it was confirmed the horse was fatally injured.
A spokesperson said: “Envoye Special was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary professionals during the Foxhunters’ Steeple Chase. After assessment, sadly they concluded the necessary course of action for the horse's welfare was to put him to sleep. Our sincere sympathies are with his connections.”
The death will do nothing to assuage the controversy ahead of this weekend's meeting, as animal protest group Animal Rising has pledged to upset the event. A spokesperson said earlier on Thursday that a planned protest at Aintree on Saturday is “the first of a campaign of events over the summer”.
Tonight Orla Coghlan, spokesperson for Animal Rising said: “It is tragic to see the death of a beautiful horse at Aintree this afternoon. This death reflects how broken our bond is with animals and nature and the urgent need to really assess if our actions match our values as a nation of animal lovers. Whether it’s the deaths of racehorses on the track, or cows, pigs, and sheep for our food system, the time has come for a critical discussion on our future and how we’re going to create a world where we love animals without harming them.”
The Grand National management team had said that all possible measures were being taken to keep horses and riders safe at this year's event. Due to the risk of protest, Merseyside Police said it has “a robust policing plan in place” for the meeting.
Officials at Aintree said they recognised the right of protestors to peacefully demonstrate.
Dickon White, North West Regional Director for Jockey Club Racecourses who own the Merseyside track, told PA: “We’ve obviously been in regular meetings over the past six months about this and it has focussed a little bit of minds in the last few weeks. But we absolutely appreciate if people want to come here and peacefully demonstrate, then they have the right to do that and we will work with the police and security teams to allow that to happen.”
A spokesperson for the British Horseracing Authority said: “While we respect the rights of anyone to protest safely and legally, we condemn any action which is illegal, especially if it puts at risk the safety of horses, jockeys, officials or fans.”
