This piece was written in 2014…
It’s that time of year again. The time when the animal rights brigade get into a tizz and try and tell the world that the Grand National – an institution and wonderful spectacle since 1829 – is a cruel and barbaric event. Let’s get some sense of realism about the subject before I analyse the race and make my case as to why it is not the evil bloodbath the activists would have people believe.
Yes, the race is dangerous – to both man and beast – but danger and cruelty are two completely different entities and need to be treated as such. Horses have died on roads, in fields and even in their stables. So to isolate one race in particular demonstrates that the reason groups such as the League Against Cruel Sports leap on the National as the one major factor in sporting equine death is simply because of the media exposure the race attracts.
I am going to analyse the 32 equine deaths in the Grand National from when I can first remember watching the race in 1975. I have every Grand National since on DVD and vividly remember many of the incidents. The series of events needs to be looked at in context, and to bear in mind that many things have changed in the race since 1975: from the quality of participants (both horse and rider) to the course itself and entry conditions for the race. I will freely admit that some of the equine deaths have been avoidable and lessons have eventually been learned. I hope the reader can put aside any pre-conceived ideas they may have and draw a more informed conclusion after the facts have been presented.
1975: LANDLARK – Died of a heart attack while jumping fence 15 (The Chair). There is no evidence to suggest this was caused by participating in the Grand National.
1975: BEAU BOB – Beau Bob had competed in a number of Grand Nationals before his fateful attempt in 1975. The horse had raced prominently until weakening on the second circuit. It is obvious that the horse should have been pulled up before Becher’s Brook on the second circuit, but for some reason jockey Jeremy Glover drove Beau Bob down the inside (where the drop was steepest) and the exhausted horse hardly took off and crashed through the top of the fence and landed head first on the other side, breaking his neck and dying instantly. Only the jockey knows if he should have pulled the old boy up.
1977: WINTER RAIN – The Michael Dickinson ridden chaser suffered injuries falling at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit which led to him being humanely destroyed.
1977: ZETA’S SON – Ridden by Irishman Mouse Morris, the horse fell at Valentine’s Brook second time around and was later euthanised.
1978: RAG TRADE – The 1976 winner went lame while approaching Becher’s Brook on the second circuit and a decision was taken to euthanise the horse.
1979: KINTAI – A loose horse ran across the ditch at The Chair (fence 15) causing a multiple pile-up in which Kintai was stranded on top of the fence and suffered a fatal spinal injury. This freak accident led to the removal of the chute leading into the fence and allowed loose horses to bypass the obstacle.
1979: ALVERTON – The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner looked a very likely candidate to follow up with the Grand National until not getting high enough at Becher’s on the second circuit and suffering a fatal neck injury, leaving jockey Jonjo O’Neill inconsolable. Some people have reported that the horse suffered a heart attack on taking off, but I am unable to substantiate this.
1983: DUNCREGGAN – The 75-1 Irish trained outsider fell at the Canal Turn on the first circuit and suffered a fatal neck injury.
1984: EARTHSTOPPER – The Richard Rowe ridden 10-year-old ran a blinder to finish 5th but collapsed and died of a heart attack in the stables after the race.
1987: DARK IVY – This particularly well publicised fatality occurred at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit when he was squeezed for room at Becher’s Brook and left with nowhere to go. The grey crashed into the fence and did a somersault that resulted in instant death. Niall Madden – the jockey of Attitude Adjuster – was subsequently blamed and vilified in the press for causing the accident by blocking Dark Ivy’s view of the take-off point. He was later exonerated, though many still see him as the villain. As someone who has never ridden in a horse race I will not apportion blame. This death was very prominent in the media, not least because Dark Ivy was the 11/2 second favourite, but also because of the horse being a grey. This incident led to a safety review which in turn led to changes being made after the 1989 race.
1989: BROWN TRIX – This hopeless outsider, ridden by an equally hopeless owner/trainer, the amateur Dr David Pitcher, had fallen at the 3rd fence in 1987 but returned in 1989 at odds of 100-1. Dr Pitcher seemed unable to control or steer the horse as he stormed off in front before suffering a sickening fall at Becher’s on the first circuit. The horse fell into the brook on the landing side and had to be saved from drowning by his jockey until he could be removed. It later transpired that a shoulder injury meant that Brown Trix had to be destroyed.
On viewing a playback of the race, Champion Jockey, Peter Scudamore was scathing in his criticism when he stated. “I like David Pitcher. He’s a nice man and as a person I’ve got a lot of time for him. But, in my view, he had no right to ride in the Grand National… He’s a bad tactician and, as far as I could see, he had no race plans. He just rode like a maniac down over those first three or four fences and, to me, that’s not fearless. It’s brainless. He rides a horse like he’s swinging from the heels against West Indian fast-bowling.”
Pitcher did not help his cause by stating “What could the best jockey in the world do about his horse falling back into the ditch? In National Hunt racing, you learn to live with dead horses.”
1989: SEEANDEM – The Liam Cusack ridden Irish outsider fell at the same fence as Brown Trix and suffered a broken back which led to the Aintree executive levelling off the landing side and filling in the brook at Becher’s, and to a full review of eligibility conditions for horses and riders.
1990: HUNGARY HUR – The Irish trained runner suffered a fractured leg while running between fences and was euthanised.
1991: BALLYHANE – The classy Josh Gifford trained fancy completed the course in 11th place under jockey Declan Murphy but died of a haemorrhage after the race.
1996: RUST NEVER SLEEPS – The Aintree regular was pulled up by jockey Trevor Horgan before the 13th fence, suspecting the horse was lame. It transpired that the horse had in fact broken a shoulder while running and was euthanised.
1997: SMITH’S BAND – The horse was leading when apparently having a heart attack as he took the 20th.
1997: STRAIGHT TALK – Joe Tizzard’s first ride in the race ended with what seemed an innocuous looking fall at the 13th fence which unfortunately resulted in the horse breaking a foreleg.
1998: GRIFFIN’S BAR – The outsider fell while galloping between the 5th and 6th fences and was later discovered to have fractured a shoulder.
1998: PASHTO – The 11-year-old collapsed and died after falling at the first fence.
1998: DO RIGHTLY – It looked on TV as if the horse ran straight into the fourth fence but it later transpired that he had suffered a heart attack and died instantly as he was about to take off.
*Note – The Jockey Club launched an enquiry into the three deaths in 1998 with questions raised as to the suitability of all three runners to compete in the National. Over the course of the years ahead the qualification standards for horses to take part were tightened.
1999: EUDIPE – The Tony McCoy ridden 7-year-old was involved in a melee at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit and fell heavily, sustaining a fatal back injury.
2002: MANX MAGIC – Sustained fatal neck injuries in a fall at the 20th fence.
2002: THE LAST FLING – This seasoned and experienced chaser suffered an uncharacteristic, and subsequently fatal, fall at the Canal Turn on the second circuit.
2003: GOGUENARD – An innocent victim of a pile-up at the 19th fence. With nowhere to go he was brought down by a riderless horse and suffered injuries which vets later decided were untreatable.
2006: TYNEANDTHYNEAGAIN – The horse continued riderless after falling at the first fence until he fell into the open ditch along the canal side. Upon being returned to the stables he was found to have a serious spinal injury and had to be euthanised.
2007: GRAPHIC APPROACH – The horse had fallen at Becher’s Brook on the second circuit but continued riderless until the last fence when the horse ran towards the crowd and tried to jump the fence into the spectators. It was discovered he was suffering from concussion and heatstroke. In the days after the race the horse looked to be on the road to recovery but eventually had to be euthanised.
2008: MCKELVEY – The 2007 runner-up unseated his rider at the 20th fence and continued riderless until he collided with railings, was unable to regain his feet due to injuries, and had to be euthanised.
2009: HEAR THE ECHO – The horse collapsed of exhaustion after the last fence and required oxygen but failed to respond and died.
2011: ORNAIS – Fell at the 4th and suffered a fatal injury.
2011: DOONEY’S GATE – Suffered a fatal spinal injury in a fall at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit.
*Note – Aintree had made significant modifications to the course in recent years, including improving veterinary facilities and reducing the severity of some fences, but another notable change was highlighted in this race — that the course has been widened to allow more fences to be bypassed if necessary. As the remaining contenders on the second circuit approached the 20th fence, arrowed signposts and marshals waving chequered flags signalled them to bypass on the outside as Ornais’ body was covered by a tarpaulin on the landing side. Two jumps later and they were again diverted, this time around the famous Becher’s Brook, where veterinary staff attended to Dooneys Gate.
2012: SYNCHRONISED – The start of the race was delayed after the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner unseated Tony McCoy during the warm-up and got loose on the racecourse. Synchronised fell at first Becher’s and did not appear to suffer serious injury, and he continued riderless until the 11th fence where he fell again, fracturing his right-hind tibia and fibula, leaving vets with no option but to euthanise him. This was a new low in tragedy at Aintree and I will always be at a loss as to why trainer Jonjo O’Neill didn’t withdraw the stable star from the race and why Tony McCoy, despite being inconsolable after the race, thought it was a good idea to run.
2012: ACCORDING TO PETE – The popular 11-year-old was tripped by On His Own falling in front of him at Becher’s second time around and unluckily suffered a fractured left fore humerus and was euthanised.
So there is no doubt that the race is dangerous. Many sports are dangerous but many of the deaths that have occurred could have happened in any other race. Becher’s Brook has been shown to be the fence that has caused the most fatalities but there have been many modifications which have improved safety. Incompetent riders are no longer allowed in the race. The standard of equine competitor has risen but I still feel more could be done to prevent bad horses from entering. I think it is important not to make any more changes to the course or the fences. The start was moved 90 yards further away from the grandstands in 2013 in order to help the horses stay calmer. I feel that making the fences any easier would be counter-productive and lead to faster Nationals with more fallers.
Is the race cruel? No. Are the connections and riders cruel? No, but there have been some bad decisions made by them in the past. Regulations can help prevent any further tragedies such as that suffered by Synchronised.
One thing is for sure. The National will always spur emotion and debate.
I hope for an incident free 2014 renewal of the best sporting spectacle on earth.