The Grand National will be limited to 34 runners from next year as part of a series of changes announced in a bid to improve safety in the world’s most famous horse race.
The reduction, from the current limit of 40, is the first change to the race’s maximum field size in 40 years and comes following a Jockey Club review in the aftermath of this year’s edition, in which the Sandy Thompson-trained Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal fall at the first fence during a particularly chaotic first circuit.
The start of that race had been delayed by 15 minutes after protestors from activist group Animal Rising broke onto the Aintree track and attempted to glue themselves to fences. A Jockey Club spokesperson insisted on Friday that those protests had “absolutely no bearing whatsoever” on the reforms.
Among the other measures announced on Friday, the first fence will be brought forward 60 yards in the hope of reducing the speed the runners are travelling at by the time they reach it, while a standing start will be mandatory for the same reason.
In most National Hunt races, horses are first allowed the chance to “walk in” to the starting tape, with standing starts as a back-up.
The race will also be brought forward from its current 5:15pm slot to reduce the possibility of drying ground later in the day, with the new start time to be confirmed following consultations with broadcasters.
The reforms are the most significant since Aintree made major changes to its fences a decade ago. The National enjoyed a run of six years without a fatality following those changes, but the last four renewals have all seen at least one equine death.
“In making these changes at Aintree we are underlining our relentless focus on welfare and our commitment to powering the future of British racing,” Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale said.
