Two horses died during the 2026 Grand National Festival at Aintree, bringing the total number of fatalities at the event since 2016 to 26, the RSPCA has confirmed.
Gold Dancer and Get On George both died after racing at the meeting, which took place from Thursday 9 to Saturday 11 April. The RSPCA expressed sadness and called for further safety improvements, including a ban on whipping horses for encouragement.
The animal charity noted that a third horse, Celtic Art, also died during the same weekend at another event, bringing the total number of competitive horse-racing fatalities in the UK so far this year to 44.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said every fatal injury is reviewed in detail and that the sport's fatal injury rate has reduced to just over two in every 1,000 runners. It highlighted that £63 million has been invested in equine science and welfare since 2000.
The BHA defended the use of the whip, describing it as cushioned and foam-padded, with strict limits of seven uses per jump race and penalties for breaches including disqualification.
