Second Horse Dies At Grand National Race

A second horse has died at the Aintree Grand National meeting. The race is being held in the UK and is no stranger to equine deaths. Two horses have died in the past two races.

The two deaths during the 2013 race came even after officials made changed to fences in the steeplechase. The latest horse to lose its life was Little Josh, who fell. Battlefront collapsed and died on Thursday.

A number of modifications were made to the course for the 2013 race to make even the event’s most famous fences look less dangerous.

One of the modifications was made to the notorious Becher’s Brook. But the two deaths at the Grand National Race will likely make animal welfare groups criticize the race again.

Aintree released a statement about the second horse’s death, saying:

“We are sad to confirm that it has been necessary to humanely put down Little Josh on welfare grounds, as a result of his fall at the 15th fence in the Topham Chase. He received immediate veterinary attention for a broken shoulder, but this injury was not treatable and it was the necessary course of action.”

While the organizers have attempted to make the course safe for horses to run, they acknowledged that there will always be some risk involved in jumping that cannot be completely removed. Before Little Josh came up with a broken shoulder, jockey Katie Walsh pulled up Battlefront during the Fox Hunters’ Steeplechase.

The 11-year-old horse collapsed and died shortly after of a suspected heart attack. The second horse’s death marks the 21st horse to die in races over Grand National fences since 2001. Dr. Mark Kennedy, the head of science ad World Society for the Protection of Animals, explained, “Sadly there is a statistical probability that horses will die at the Grand National meeting.”

The deaths of Little Josh and Battlefront will likely put a damper on Sunday’s English Grand National steeplechase — largely regarded as the world’s best known race of its kind.

[Image via Lesley Rigg / Shutterstock.com]