Animal rights organizations have expressed their disapproval of the Grand National after a leading horse experienced a severe fall and another collapsed shortly after the race.
Broadway Boy, a seven-year-old horse ridden by Tom Bellamy, suffered a “sickening fall” at the 25th jump and appeared to land on its head.
Owned by David Proos, the horse was evaluated on the course and later escorted to a veterinary ambulance.
Rider Tom Bellamy also fell and was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
Celebre D’Allen, a 100-1 shot and one of the older competitors, collapsed and was transported to a veterinary ambulance.
His rider, Micheál Nolan, faced a stewards’ inquiry for not pulling the horse out of the race earlier.
With final odds of 66-1, Broadway Boy was considered a contender for the race.
Other horses, Kandoo Kid, Perceval Legallois, and Duffle Coat experienced falls or lost their riders.
The race winner, Nick Rockett, finished two and a half lengths ahead of the favorite, I Am Maximus.
Last year, several safety measures were implemented, including reducing the number of competitors from 40 to 34 and softening the fences, resulting in no Grand National fatalities; however, Willy De Houelle suffered a fatal fall on this year’s opening day of the festival.
Ben Newman of Animal Rising criticized the industry’s emphasis on profit over welfare and accused ITV of not showing the fall of Broadway Boy, claiming it to be a method of saving face.
Animal Aid expressed their disgust over the horse’s fall and accused the industry of “welfare-washing” due to the lack of information provided about the horses’ welfare.
Spectators criticized the event as “shameful” and “disgusting” on social media, and expressed their disappointment in the slow provision of information about the injured horses.
