Aintree death leads to calls for new horse racing regulator
Posted 3rd April 2025
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The death of Willy De Houelle at this year’s Aintree Festival has led to the League Against Cruel Sports repeating its calls for a new, independent horse racing regulator with animal welfare as its number one priority.
The national animal welfare charity has called for the body to replace the British Horse Racing Authority and for an immediate ban on the whip after Willy De Houelle died on the first day of the Aintree Festival.
The League has urged the public to boycott the festival in protest at the number of horses that die during the event every year.
Figures compiled by Animal Aid show 66 horses have now died racing at the Aintree Festival in the past 25 years, with16 horses dying in the Grand National race itself.
Giovinco and Pikar both fell and died during last year’s Aintree Festival.
Emma Slawinski, League’s chief executive, said: “The tragic death of Willy De Houelle, the sixty-sixth horse to die at the Aintree Festival since 2000, illustrates why we need a new, independent regulator that has horse welfare as its number one priority.
“We need to replace the British Horse Racing Authority, make immediate moves to outlaw the whip and stop sacrificing horses for entertainment and the profits of the gambling companies.”
The League has called on the public to stay away from the Aintree festival, to stop betting on the racing and to avoid the ITV coverage and commentary which sanitises the spectacle.
The most recent Cheltenham Festival which saw two horses die while racing, recorded a 4.9 per cent attendance slump compared to 2024. Attendance has now fallen 22 per cent since 2022.
Emma added: “There is a growing concern among the public at how the horse racing industry treats these beautiful animals, pushing them beyond what they can safely achieve and racing them to their deaths.
“How many more horses are we prepared to see lose their lives in front of a paying public before we take the steps needed to ensure their welfare is treated with paramount importance?”
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