The trainer of Hill Sixteen, the horse which broke its neck and died falling at the first hurdle in the Grand National, has blamed “ignorant” protesters for making horses “hyper” and causing more deaths.
Officers arrested 118 people on Saturday after scores of activists climbed fences, with at least two fixing themselves to a jump using glue and lock-on devices, to delay the start of the Grand National by 15 minutes.
Hill Sixteen was euthanised after falling at the first fence – the second to die at Aintree on Saturday and the third at the three-day festival – prompting campaigners to call for jump racing to be banned.
But his trainer Sandy Thomson defended the racing authorities as “continually moving forward to make the sport safer” while blaming the Animal Rising protesters for more deaths than usual at this year’s event.
Sandy Thomson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we look at the last nine years since the course has been modified, there’s been an average of under two fallers at the first two fences and this year everybody got very uptight about it – horses, jockeys, starters – and there were eight fallers at those first two fences.
“This was all caused by these so-called animal lovers who actually are ignorant and have absolutely no idea about welfare of horses.”
Speaking about how the sport could become safer, Mr Thomson said: “Two of the considerations – a shorter run to the first fence and a few less horses – those are obvious things that may be considered.
“There have been huge changes in the whip rule, which has made a huge effect – last year’s winner would have been disqualified under the new rules, so we as a sport are continually moving forward and trying to make the sport safer.
“The figures of people watching are surely a huge indication of where public perception is about the Grand National.”
The Scot described the horse as “hyper” due to the protests, and blamed the activists.
“He just hasn’t taken off at the first fence; he’s got so bloody hyper because of the carry on,” he told the Racing Post.
He said he tried to calm the horse by washing him off but to no avail.
“Unfortunately, it’s a statistic we’re all trying to avoid,” Mr Thomson said. “He’s jumped round here twice and never had a bother. I don’t know when he last fell.
“I know how ignorant these people are and they haven’t a bloody clue. They just cause more problems than they ever solve.”
Activists for Animal Rising hit back claiming their actions at the Grand National were “aimed to prevent exactly that from happening”.
The group told Sky News: “Firstly, we want to offer our deepest condolences to anyone connected to Hill Sixteen or who has been impacted by their death. Animal Rising’s actions at the Grand National aimed to prevent exactly that from happening.
“Horse deaths and injuries are an unavoidable consequence of the way we use animals for sport, not dissimilar to the way we cause billions of animal deaths in our food system.
“The only way to prevent more harm from coming to these beautiful creatures is by completely re-evaluating our connection to them and finding a way of loving them that doesn’t put them in harm’s way.
“We’d welcome dialogue with Sandy Thomson or Jimmy Fyffe about how to move forwards together and really transform our relationship to horses and, indeed, to all animals and nature.”
Hill Sixteen died after breaking his neck in a fall at the first fence during the main steeplechase on Saturday afternoon. Tarpaulins were immediately brought on to the course to offer privacy to the horse and rider.
The ten-year-old horse had completed the course twice before and started the race with odds of 66-1.
RSPCA policy director Emma Slawinski has called for the Grand National to make changes to ensure the safety of the horses, including having fewer on the field and prohibiting the use of whips.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “One of the things we particularly see at the Grand National is a very big field, so lots of horses running together.
“That, of course, causes issues when horses fall and can get in the way of other horses, and cause accidents in that way.
“The other thing that we think needs to change very urgently is to see an end of the use of the whip for encouragement – hitting the horses to make them run faster.
“We know that that actually causes more accidents, it makes accidents more likely, makes injuries more likely, so we’d like to see that reform happen as well.”
