118 arrested as 2023 Grand National delayed after animal rights protesters storm track at Aintree

One hundred and eighteen people were arrested by police on Saturday after protesters broke on to the course at Aintree, causing the start of the Grand National to be delayed by nearly a quarter of an hour.

Their actions were condemned by prominent figures within racing, with Sir Anthony McCoy labelling them "attention seekers" and Sandy Thomson, whose Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal fall during the race, saying "they haven't a bloody clue what they're doing".

At around 5pm, a number of animal rights activists wearing pink t-shirts, and others wearing plain clothes, attempted to scale the perimeter fence or make their way through gates at the far end of the racecourse near Becher's Brook and the Canal Turn.

Some of the protesters tried to climb over the fence using ladders, which were confiscated by police and security staff, while others attempted to clamber over unaided.

Animal rights protesters were arrested before the Grand National at Aintree on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Merseyside Police said "the majority" of those trying to get on to the course were prevented from doing so. However, nine people did make it on to the track with some gluing themselves to the second fence and others seeking to shackle themselves to the running rail by the Canal Turn.

Assistant chief constable Paul White said: “The safety and wellbeing of everyone is of paramount concern when dealing with a large-scale public events such as the Grand National.

“The perimeter of Aintree racecourse covers an extensive area of between 4-5 kilometres and obviously poses challenges for policing. However we have been planning the policing of this event for a number of months and we had a robust plan in place to ensure that we had adequate staff to deal with it.

“Just after 5pm a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry onto Aintree racecourse. The majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing thanks to our planning and the work of my officers.

“I can confirm a total of 118 people have been arrested today.

“I would like to thank everyone for their patience while this matter was dealt with in a safe and appropriate manner. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank mutual aid officers from Greater Manchester Police, North Wales Police, Cheshire Police and Durham Police and our partners at Aintree racecourse, security providers and the Jockey Club for their assistance in dealing with this matter.”

Jockey Club security check fence two for potential devices after activists broke on to the track before the Grand NationalCredit: Edward Whitaker

On Saturday morning, police confirmed a 33-year-old woman from London was arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance in relation to the Grand National. At 6.30pm on Saturday, police said a total of 23 people had been arrested before and during racing.

Aintree said Cape Gentleman and Recite A Prayer had been taken for further veterinary inspection after the Grand National, while Hill Sixteen was put down after falling at the first fence with a video of the incident posted online by the animal rights group.

Grand National-winning jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, speaking on ITV Racing, blasted the protesters for not having "any understanding of horses and how well they are cared for", while Harry Cobden described the delay as "frustrating for horse and jockeys, and owners and trainers".

Animal rights protesters by the Melling Road entrance before the Grand National startCredit: Edward Whitaker

Robert Waley-Cohen, owner of last year's winner and this year's fourth Noble Yeats, said the delay the protesters had caused had been unhelpful for the horses.

"I thought they weren't very concerned about horse welfare, making them walk round and round in the parade is not good for horse welfare," he said. "If that's your concern, you've made a mistake. I'm not on that side of it at all but I think the course probably dealt with the protest as fast and quickly as they could."

In the run-up to this year's Grand National, animal rights activists repeatedly expressed an intention to protest at this year's race. As well as protesting outside the racecourse, some activists had outlined plans to bypass security and potentially disrupt the Grand National by creating human barriers.

Orla Coghlan, spokeswoman for the animal rights group Animal Rising, which also blocked the M57 motorway in Liverpool on Saturday, said: "Today marks not the end, but the beginning, of the summer of Animal Rising. We will be defending animals and nature and creating an unignorable national conversation about our relationship to animals and the natural world."

Photographer Marcia Thompson saw the protesters and said: "The locals were helping the police, they were grabbing the protesters' ladders. They were throwing the ladders over the fence."

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