"The race needs to stop today and forever - horse racing is just a symbol of the broken relationship we have with animals."
Those were the words of Dora Hargitai, one of the co-founders of Animal Rising, as she stood with several dozen protesters outside Aintree Racecourse shortly after 9am on Grand National Day. "Every time you race a horse there is a risk of death," the 37-year-old said.
"You can't love something and also put them at high risk of death, that doesn't make sense." A lot of the chatter ahead of this year's Grand National was dominated by Animal Rising's suspected plans to shut down the showpiece event.
