'We need to maintain its acceptability to society' - Jockey Club chief warns racing must protect the Grand National

British racing has been told it needs to maintain the Grand National's acceptability to society and that the sport must continue to evolve to remain sustainable.

Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale said the Aintree race was the main shop window of the sport and that it needed to be preserved and protected as well as improved.

He was speaking at a conference organised by the Racing Foundation at Ascot on Wednesday focusing on the challenge racing faces to maintain its social licence.

The Jockey Club was at the heart of the changes made to this year's running of the Grand National, which included reducing the maximum field to 34 from 40, moving the first fence 60 yards closer to the starting line and introducing a standing start.

Those changes came after the furore surrounding the 2023 running, which was delayed after animal rights protesters gained access to the track and further marred when Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal injury.

Not all the changes to this year's Grand National were well received and Truesdale said a mixed reception had been expected.

However, he said he believed the changes had been "balanced, judicious and definitely needed for the protection and evolution of this race".

He also said there could be further modifications.

"It's never done but it's a race we should all be extremely proud of," he added. "It's a race that is the platform, the main shop window of our sport, and it's a race that we need to preserve and protect.

"But it's also a race for which we need to maintain its acceptability to society because it is one of racing's – and indeed Britain's – biggest sporting assets, and it is our job to preserve it, look after it, evolve it and improve it."

Jockey Club chief executive Nevin TruesdaleCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Truesdale said polling had shown a worsening public perception of the Grand National, with more than half of those asked last year saying they felt the race was either cruel or fairly cruel.

He added: "If this sport is going to be sustainable into the long term it makes evolving the race, changing these things, even more resonant."

Truesdale said the Grand National was one of the "key instances" when its racing's social licence as a sport was "on the line".

"It's our one event of the year, even above the likes of the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, the Derby, where we really, really cut through as a sport to the general public," he added.

"That day we are in the sporting spotlight like no other time. Equally, as we all know, this race is our highest-risk race, our highest-risk event when it comes to potential things that can go wrong."

Truesdale said demonstrating how the sport was making the race as safe as possible while preserving its unique status was "one of our biggest strategic objectives as a sport".

Last week the Jockey Club announced a number of changes to the Cheltenham Festival, including the controversial decision to open up the National Hunt Chase to professional riders. 

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