RSPCA concedes Aintree and racing in general have 'come quite a way'

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/07/rspca-aintree-horse-welfare-grand-national

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Saturday's Grand National has been hailed by the RSPCA as evidence that Aintree and racing in general have come a long way in addressing concerns over horse welfare. For the second year running, no significant equine injuries were sustained, following the softening of the famous green fences early last year.

"The faller-rate was slightly higher this time than last," said David Muir, the RSPCA's racing consultant, who spent Monday conducting his annual review of the event from a safety perspective. While eight of the 40 runners fell on Saturday, six more than in 2013, Muir said he was "pleased that the new fence design is doing its job, allowing horses that make mistakes to continue forward.

"I've been looking at footage of the falls all morning and they're the kind of falls you would see in a normal steeplechase, rather than the rotational falls you used to get when the fences had solid cores. I walked the course on Saturday and I remember thinking, what more can they do?

"You're looking more at the jockeys, at ways of teaching them to approach the race in a different way to what they did in the past, when they always seemed to be flying at the first.

"I've got good links with Paul Struthers [chief executive of the jockeys' representative body] and we do meet and talk about these things. I'll be at the British Racing School this week, because it's the younger jockeys you have to reach."

Muir's only stated concern about jockeyship in Saturday's race related to Jack Doyle, who was banned for 12 days by the stewards for continuing on Wayward Prince when the horse appeared exhausted. "I can't understand that, when so much emphasis has been put on safety," Muir said. "It could have dampened the whole occasion for no reason. But the horse wasn't injured and the jockey was banned.

"I can't remember three days' racing on all three courses [hurdles, chase and Grand National] with nothing [in the way of equine injuries]. I can remember, my first year working at Aintree, five horses died on the first day. It just shows you, we've come quite a way since then; racing in general has come quite a way, not just Aintree."

Muir said he was reluctant to step on the toes of the sport's regulator, the British Horseracing Authority, but felt it should consider preventing horses like Battle Group from taking part in the National. Battle Group, who has an established history of reluctance to race, planted himself twice during Saturday's chaotic starting process and Muir feels that went some way towards undermining the changes made last year aimed at calming down the starting process.

However, Robin Mounsey, a BHA spokesman, said Battle Group's behaviour had "no bearing" on the start. He pointed out that the initial problem was that the other jockeys approached the tape before being invited to do so; Battle Group's mulishness at the same moment was only incidental. Indeed, the starter had been instructed, in light of the horse's past behaviour, to let the field go at the appropriate time, whether or not Battle Group was willing to line up.

"The same approach would be adopted in the future for any horses where there are concerns about their behaviour at the start," Mounsey said. "In extreme cases, the review panel who assess the suitability of all Grand National entrants might speak to connections in advance to make a decision as to whether it is appropriate that the horse should be entered."

The disciplinary hearing arising from the botched start will probably not take place as early as next week, it appears. The BHA is still collating relevant information, a process that may take much of this week to complete, and will then need to find a date when all 39 jockeys involved can either attend or be represented.

The Scottish Grand National on Saturday may feature an unusually big name if Paul Nicholls decides to let Tidal Bay take his chance after an abortive run in the Grand National. The 13-year-old was all but brought down by a faller at the Canal Turn and then took Across The Bay out of contention while running loose.

Nicholls said the horse had not done a lot in the race and had cantered as normal on Monday. "We'll make a decision later in the week," the Somerset trainer said of the Scottish National. "The options are this or the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown [a fortnight on Saturday]. It would be nice to get a steer on Sandown, as I would probably run him there if the ground was good, but I'm a bit worried about it getting too quick."

Also on Saturday afternoon at Newbury, an especially informative running of the Greenham Stakes may feature Kingman, Night Of Thunder, Berkshire and Lat Hawill. The Greenham is a trial for the 2,000 Guineas in early May, for which Kingman is the 9-1 third-favourite.