Which horses died in the Grand National today?

Aafter the excitement and electric atmosphere Corach Rambler’s Victorysomber tone for conclude a pleasant day. Terrible confirmation, almost an hour after 175 was completed Grand Nationalthat Hill Sixteen died after being mortally wounded on Aintree of course.

It was the third fatality of the week: Dark Raven, a six-year-old horse, was killed over the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, contributing to the death of Envoye Special on the first day of the Foxhunters’ Chase. That last year’s total was four was no consolation.

You suspect the news has rattled those in the sport, adding substance and perhaps some sympathy from neutrals to earlier protests led by the climate and animal rights group Animal Rising.

Animal Aid also condemned Aintree this week, insisting it brings “disgrace” to British racing, branding the track a “prolific horse killer”. Since 2000, there have been 62 deaths across the three days of the meet.

But those who want to oppose animal cruelty regularly emphasize that they intend to do so “peacefully,” but alarming scenes moments before the national teamas police battled protesters on the perimeter of the pitch shortly before kick-off at 5:15 p.m., it appeared to contradict such claims. More than 100 protesters were arrestedwhich provides a 12-minute start delay.

Moreover, the time when the 39 horses started to leave the paddock for the start caused unnecessary distress and panic to the animals. The delay may have increased their stress, causing them to race faster from the start and lose control. Arguably the opposite of the desired effect of the protesters.

The race is imperfect, although the fatality rate has fallen steadily since measures to improve safety were introduced 11 years ago. The rigor of some fences was reduced in 2012, the minimum age for participating horses was raised from six to seven years and all runners were required to have previous steeplechase experience of at least three miles.

Of course, the death toll has fallen to just 1.3 percent, with five deaths in 10 runnings of the iconic race – a figure that was as high as 3.3 percent at the turn of the century.

But while the measures have apparently worked to some extent, the average fatality rate at races across Britain is just 0.2 per cent, according to the British Horseracing Authority, raising the question of whether the protests are about Aintree in particular or the sport as a whole.

The sport appears to be in poor health as this year’s Cheltenham Festival has already been a resounding success. But in the Cotswolds and elsewhere, harrowing scenes are less common. Perhaps the most worrying moment on Saturday came in the 10th jump: Lifetime Ambition was beaten by Cloudy Glen, who had earlier thrown jockey Charlie Deutsch. And then he looked confused as he ran dangerously directly over the fence.

So what else can be done? The court of public opinion, with more than 500 million viewers worldwide, shows that the principle of jumps in jumps is still something that the vast majority of people like.

However, visually the race seems too dangerous at times, with the early jumps into bunches. Could the organizers appease the protesters a bit, or at least win over the public by further reducing the number of starters?

The League Against Cruel Sports has called for tougher safety measures, the creation of a new independent regulatory body and a ban on the whip.

Many will also call for lower and wider fences, but a good start would be an open conversation between the two sides, as described by ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin, who was eager to welcome Animal Rising and others into the stable to provide “education” around the state of purebreds.

There is no quick fix for this flawed tradition that brings joy to many, but now may be the time to instigate further change.