Grand National Fences To Be Made Safer

Fences at this year's Grand National are being made safer in the biggest change in the history of the race.

They are among a number of measures aimed at dealing with accusations of animal cruelty after eight horses died in the last decade.

Last year the joint favourite and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised had to be put down after falling at fence six of the Grand National - the infamous Becher's Brook - and continuing riderless until suffering leg fractures.

The death, along with that of outsider According to Pete, who was brought down at the same fence on the second circuit, led to calls from animal welfare groups for the Grand National to be banned.

The new fences are still covered in spruce but wooden posts have been replaced by a softer material known as "plastic birch".

Aintree racecourse manager Andrew Tulloch described the birch as "horse friendly", telling Sky News "safety at Aintree is always our top priority for riders and horses and it's something we do not stand still on".

He said the changes should make the Grand National safer but not any easier, insisting the fences will remain the same height.

"The outward appearance of these fences will remain the same.

"The big change here is that traditionally where they had a timber frame to them that timber frame has been replaced by a plastic, more forgiving, birch and on top of that birch there's a minimum of fourteen, maybe even sixteen inches of spruce and the spruce is what the horses can knock off," he said.

Other safety measures being introduced this year include levelling of the landing zone for four of the trickiest jumps, including Becher's Brook.

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Grand National Fences To Be Made Safer