Merseyside Police have confirmed that 65 protestors were taken into custody after 118 arrests were made on Saturday at the Grand National at Aintree.
The youngest person arrested was 18 years old and the oldest was 66. The arrests came after protests saw the start of showpiece race at Aintree delayed.
“The Grand National race was temporarily delayed for a short period of time while officers dealt with protestors who attempted to gain entry onto Aintree racecourse, and this was across the whole site which covers an extensive perimeter of around 5km which in parts is open land," Assistant Chief Constable Paul White said.
“As you can understand, the safety and wellbeing of everyone is of paramount concern when dealing with large-scale public events such as this, and this includes those who are protesting.
“To put into perspective, it is estimated that around 70,000 visitors attended the Grand National and the event went safely with an enjoyable atmosphere despite the short interruption from protestors.
“We had a robust plan in place to deal with incidents, and as such our officers and security staff were able to quickly deal with the situation in a safe and appropriate manner.
“It is also important to add that we respect the right to a peaceful protest and expression of views, but criminal behaviour and disorder will not be tolerated and sadly this is what took place at yesterday’s event in an attempt to disrupt the race which resulted in the arrests."
The race eventually got underway after the delay to proceedings, with Corach Rambler eventually winning. Later on Saturday, protestors Animal Rising put out a statement about the day's events.
"Horses, like all animals, have the capacity to feel joy and pain much like we do and should not be forced to partake in dangerous events against their will," the statement read, with references to previous deaths of horses at the Aintree racecourse. "We have an opportunity to come together and build a society that is kind to animals, that considers their pain and their needs, rather than exploiting them for entertainment or food.
"As a society, we are becoming more and more aware of the horrors of horse racing, and of the potential for a brighter, kinder future. We have the power to end cruel horse racing in the UK forever - please help us make this happen."
