Grand National protestors respond to being blamed for horse’s injury

The Grand National: Protesters delay proceedings at Aintree

Grand National campaigners Animal Rising have denied playing a role in an injury sustained by Galvin despite claims from his jockey Davy Russell. The gelding cut himself on a ladder on the inside of the track after unseating his rider at the first.

Galvin was fancied to go close in the annual Aintree showcase after his second-place finish in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. The nine-year-old was not fully fit that day though and many expected him to come on from that.

Though punters hardly got a run for their money after Galvin unseated Russell at the first, before running free for the opening section of the race. Footage then showed that Gordon Elliott’s stable star had tripped over a ladder on the inside of the track near the 13th fence.

Speaking on Luck On Sunday, Russell was asked whether Galvin had cantered into an area where some of the protestors’ equipment was left, to which he replied: “Yeah, and that’s the other side of it with horses, everything has to be secure. They need to be in an area where they can’t do any harm to themselves and that area was tainted. He got a nasty cut…he had a nasty cut on him but hopefully, the vets will sort him out.”

Don’t miss…
Grand National protest blamed for Hill Sixteen death as details emerge[LATEST]

However, Animal Rising denied that it was a piece of equipment used by their activists to mount the surrounding fences for their pre-race protest. Responding to a tweet with a clip of the interview, they said: “Nice try, but that’s not a ladder.” They then went on to show photos of a truss, a structural element with diagonal bars, and believe that that was what the horse tripped over.

They continued: “P.S. No protesters threw ladders over fences. How would that make any sense? We were trying to get over the fences. Ladders being thrown over was all police and racegoers!

“P.P.S. It’s odd how some people seem to be much more concerned about how a horse that got a cut on a not-ladder left by not-protesters, than the horse who broke his neck yesterday during a race he should not have been forced to run, and the thousands of others before him.”

The group, who were unsuccessful in having the Grand National cancelled and prompted a minor delay of 12 minutes, have come under fire for their actions and the result it had on injuries/falls. The connections of Hill Sixteen, who was put down after a first-fence fall, believe that the minor suspension affected their horse given that he had never come down in any of his 26 races previously.

Source: Read Full Article