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Jockey Club chief warns that the Grand National must be protected
British horse racing has been told in no uncertain terms that the Grand National’s acceptability to society must be maintained and that the sport will need to constantly evolve in order to remain fully sustainable.
Shop window
The Grand National is one of the key features of the UK horse racing calendar and this ‘shop window’ event needs to be protected and preserved, while at the same time continually improved. The 2024 event was the subject of numerous changes made by the Jockey Club, including reducing the maximum number of runners from 40 to 34, introducing a standing start and moving the initial fence 60 yards closer to the start of the race. These changes came on the back of protests at the 2023 event which saw the start of the race delayed due to protesters accessing the track.
Mixed reception
A mixed reception to the changes had been expected although many in the industry readily accepted that the modifications to the event were necessary for the evolution and protection of the event. The Jockey Club haven’t ruled out further changes to the Grand National although at the time of writing, there are no major modifications planned for the 2025 renewal.
Welfare
Polling has shown that an increasing proportion of the UK public believe that the Grand National is either cruel or quite cruel, however much of this public perception is down to either ignorance or false evidence from animal rights organisations. The truth is that racing puts the welfare of racehorses above all else and the major changes taking place both at the Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival were testament to this.
