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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Eamon Doggett

How many horses died in the 2023 Aintree Grand National?

One horse had to be put down after suffering a fatal injury in the 2023 Aintree Grand National.

Hill Sixteen, a 10-year-old gelding, was attended to by vets after falling at the first fence under jockey Ryan Mania but couldn't be saved.

The horse's death was confirmed by part owner Jimmy Fyffe, a director of Dundee United football club, who owned the winner of the final race on the card, Florida Dreams.

READ MORE: Grand National full result and placings from the big race at Aintree

80/1 shot Hill Sixteen, trained by Sandy Thomson, is only the confirmed casualty from the race in which there were 17 finishers from 39 runners. Four horses fell during the race, seven were pulled up, while 11 horses unseated their riders.

It was won by the 8/1 favourite Corach Rambler who come home two and a quarter lengths clear of three Irish-trained horses in Vanillier, Gaillard Du Mesnil and last year's winner Noble Yeats.

The race was delayed after a number of protestors broke in to the course prior to the world's most famous steeplechase.

Animal Rising had threatened to disrupt the four-and-a-quarter-mile and were protesting from early on Saturday morning outside the track.

As the National runners were in the parade ring, a number of protestors breached security fences around the Liverpool venue and ran on to the course.

The horses were sent back to the pre-parade ring, with the race delayed as police dealt with the intruders.

Hill Sixteen was one of two horses to lose their life on the day following the death of the Willie Mullns-trained Dark Raven in the third race on the card, the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, which was won by Irish Point.

Dark Raven, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, had won three of his five races under rules and finished sixth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival before his latest start for which he was sent off a 100-30 chance.

Munir said on Twitter : "Thank you for all your kind messages on the sad loss of our dear Dark Raven RIP."

Envoye Special was racing in a race confined by amateur riders when he lost his partner at the ninth fence, the one before Becher’s Brook.

The Kieran Burke-trained nine-year-old continued riderless but fell at one of the subsequent fences.

He was assessed by Aintree’s on-course veterinary team but the track subsequently confirmed he had unfortunately sustained a fatal injury.

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