Grand National Festival horse Giovinco dies after falling mid-race, enraging animal rights activists 24 hours before Aintree’s big race, where a ring of steel has been built to stop protest invasion

Animal rights activists are outraged after a horse, Giovinco, died following a fall during the second day of the Grand National Festival.

Giovinco, aged seven, fell during the Mildmay Novices’ Chase, the first race of Ladies’ Day at Aintree.

The gelding was three lengths behind the lead and fell at the final fence. He was treated on-track by vets but they were unable to save him as heartbroken festivalgoers watched on. 

His tragic death comes just 24 hours before the festival’s showpiece event, for which a ‘ring of steel’ has been prepared to keep out protesters.  

‘If the death toll was this “high” in any other sport, it would be banned immediately,’ a statement from Animal Aid read.

‘However, because it’s “just” horses being killed, then the racing industry and the government seem content to allow these innocent animals to suffer horrific injuries and die.’ 

Giovinco was trained by two-time Grand National winner Lucinda Russell and jockeyed by Stephen Mulqueen.

He died at 1.45pm on Friday afternoon. 

Nina Copleston-Hawkens, an Animal Aid campaigner, said: ‘It is reprehensible that yet another horse has lost their life at The Grand National Meeting – a life that, whilst deemed inconsequential by the racing industry, was precious and important.

‘That horses continue to die in horrific and terrifying ways during a race is scandal enough, but even the horses ‘lucky’ enough to survive face uncertain futures where disposal methods such as slaughter and knacker men are commonplace once no longer deemed ‘of use’ to the industry.’

A ‘ring of steel’ will close off this Saturday’s Grand National from animal rights protestors, with police deploying specialist undercover behaviour experts to monitor the crowds.

Security cordons have been put in place.

Senior officers are keen to avoid a repeat of scenes at last year’s horse race when activists stormed the track and attempted to glue themselves to fences. 

After an undercover expose by the Mail, police had been alerted to the plot organised by campaign group Animal Rising a fortnight earlier, and were on hand to quickly arrest more than 100 protestors. 

It meant the world-famous steeplechase was delayed by just 14 minutes.

But furious trainer Sandy Thomson later blamed the ‘ignorant’ eco-mob for the death of his horse Hill Sixteen, which suffered a fatal fall at the first fence after going ‘hyper’ because of the delay.

Last week Animal Rising claimed it had suspended its horse-racing protests but Superintendent Matthew Moscrop, of Merseyside Police, said a ‘ring of steel’ will greet them if they do decide to swoop on the Aintree course.

He said the force would be deploying expert ‘Project Servator’ officers – specially trained undercover units who analyse crowd behaviour to foil attacks before they happen.

Mr Moscrop explained: ‘These are behavioural detection specialists who identify people whose conduct suggests they are not there to enjoy a day at the races – criminal or antisocial – and prevent it happening.’

Grand National organisers say analysis of data from previous races and conversations with welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA, has prompted several changes to this year’s race.

These include a smaller field, with the number of horses running cut from 40 to 34; an earlier start time of 4pm to help horses have safer ground when landing their jumps and a shorter run to the first fence to help slow the horses down.

Fatality rates in horse racing dropped marginally compared to the year before. 

In 2023, the British Horseracing Authority recorded 158 deaths from 87,619 runners, a fatality rate of 0.18 per cent. That equated to a drop by 11 deaths and 0.02 per cent. 

More to follow.