It was business as usual at the Grand National 2025: death, injury, and PR damage control.

For anyone who doesn’t know: the Grand National is one of the most famous horse racing events in the world. It’s held every April at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. The main event at this three-day festival is a gruelling 4.5 mile steeplechase featuring 30 towering fences. It’s known for massive crowds, betting frenzies, and national TV coverage.

It’s also known for death.

On the first day of this year’s festival, a young horse named Willy De Houelle fell and was killed on the racetrack. During the main Grand National race, Broadway Boy took a fall that spectators described as “sickening”. Another horse collapsed after the final fence. Three more horses also fell, while another unseated his rider.

And this is just one year.

Every time it happens, we’re told it’s an unfortunate accident. But horses die at Aintree nearly every year. This isn’t a side effect. It’s part of the so-called sport. 

What Happened at Grand National 2025

Here’s a look at what went down over this three-day event. 

Willy De Houelle Was Killed

A four-year-old horse named Willy De Houelle fell during the Boodles Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle—just the second race on day one. His injuries were so bad that he was killed on the track.

They used the word “euthanised.” But he didn’t pass away peacefully—he died from trauma because he was forced to race for human entertainment.

Broadway Boy’s Horrifying Fall

In the main race on Saturday, Broadway Boy crashed into one of the final fences. People at the track described it as “sickening.”

He was taken off in a horse ambulance and is said to be “stiff and sore” but recovering—but this shouldn’t have happened at all.

Celebre D’Allen’s collapse & death

After the last jump, Celebre d’Allen collapsed. He had already shown signs of struggling, but the jockey didn’t stop pushing him. After receiving “immediate and extensive treatment by the vets” for heatstroke, Celebre d’Allen’s trainers took to social media calling him “bright and breezy” the next morning.

Celebre D’Allen bright & breezy this morning @AintreeRaces after running so well in the Grand National. pic.twitter.com/V91HFeqj5g

— Philip Hobbs & Johnson White Racing (@PJHobbs1) April 6, 2025

On the 8th April 2025, two days later, Celebre d’Allen was dead.

Celebre D’Allen’s Jockey Banned

The jockey riding Celebre D’Allen, Ben Harvey, received a 10-day ban for continuing to push the horse until he had “no more to give”.

Let that sink in.

The horse was in distress, and instead of stopping the race, the jockey pushed the 13-year-old to the finish line. To the point of collapse. His body gave out, and it killed him. Who then, is responsible for his death? Is a 10 day racing ban a fair trade for a life?

Other Incidents

During the same race:

• Kandookid fell at the first fence.
• Perceval Legallois fell at the second fence.
• Appreciate It was brought down.
• Duffle Coat threw his jockey off halfway through.

The course is chaotic by design. Falls like these aren’t rare; they’re expected.

Several Horses Were Pulled Out

Before the race even started, five horses were withdrawn:

• Inothewayurthinkin
• Galvin
• Gentlemansgame
• Monty’s Star
• Envoi Allen

Some of these were pulled out due to injuries. Others just weren’t fit to race. Either way, it says a lot when this many horses are ruled out before the gun even goes off.

13 Horses Pulled Up

“Pulled up” refers to when a jockey voluntarily stops a horse from continuing the race. This is usually because the horse is clearly tired, injured, or simply not performing well. 

At the 2025 Grand National, 13 horses were pulled up mid-race. This shows the immense physical strain the course puts on them. Being “pulled up” may sound gentle, but it’s a red flag. It’s just another example of how extreme and dangerous these races are for the horses.

The Grand National’s Bloody Track Record

Since 2000, at least 62 horses have died as a direct result of racing at the Grand National Festival.

Aintree is a notoriously dangerous course, with high fences, a long distance, and 34 horses competing. It pushes horses far beyond their physical limits. Some of the jumps are riskier than others. The most infamous are known as Becher’s Brook, The Chair, and Canal Turn. They’ve caused countless horrific falls over the years, resulting in broken necks, shattered legs, or catastrophic internal injuries. The landings are uneven. The angles are dangerous. The horses are terrified.

It’s not just the race itself—horses are injured and euthanised (killed) during training, warm-ups, and preliminary races leading up to the big day.

Even the industry admits this course is extreme. But rather than getting to the crux of the problem,  they tweak fence angles and roll out a new PR campaign. They talk about safety. But a safer death is still a death.

An unnecessary death for entertainment, profit, and “sport”.

Why Horse Racing Is Inherently Cruel

From the outside, horse racing is glamorous. It’s a spectacle of the wealthy, with their avant-garde hats and champagne among cheering crowds. 

But behind the scenes, this spectacle is built on suffering. 

They race as babies.

Most racehorses start competing at just 2 years old, when their bones are still developing. Their bodies simply aren’t ready. This increases the risk of serious injury—and death.

They’re forced to run, no matter what.

Whips are legal and regularly used to make horses run faster, even when they’re exhausted or in pain. Jockeys can whip a horse up to seven times in a flat race and eight times over jumps in the UK, as stipulated by the British Horseracing Authority.

It’s not just the Grand National.

Jump Racing, also known as National Hunt, has killed 3,000+ horses since 2001.

Stress is part of the job.

Racehorses endure constant travel, loud crowds, and intense training. Many develop ulcers, anxiety, or behavioural problems from the pressure.

Common injuries include:

• Broken legs and shattered bones: Horses are often killed immediately on the track because it’s cheaper than treating them.
• Pulmonary bleeding: A condition where horses bleed from the lungs during or after racing.
• Heart failure: Caused by overexertion, especially in extreme heat.

And if they’re not fast enough?

Many horses are quietly killed, abandoned, or sold into the international meat trade. A 2021 BBC Panorama investigation found that thousands of ex-racehorses are slaughtered every year, including healthy animals who simply didn’t perform.

Even the “lucky ones” are often passed from trainer to trainer, raced until they collapse, and dumped the moment they stop making money.

These horses aren’t pets. They’re not family. They’re financial investments. Business assets. Disposable ones.

If They’re Treated Like Kings, Why Do So Many Die?

We’re told racehorses are treated like royalty. But even a gilded cage is still a cage.

Sure, they might get brushed and fed well — but only as long as they’re profitable. Behind the scenes, these “kings” are:

• Whipped during races to force them past exhaustion.
• Fitted with restrictive gear like tongue ties, tight nosebands, and harsh bits that interfere with breathing and movement.
• Raced while injured, then doped up to mask the pain.

When they stop winning, they’re sold, neglected, sent abroad to slaughterhouses, or quietly disappear from records. There’s even a term for it in the industry: wastage.

The truth is, these horses aren’t “loved.” They’re leased by an industry that profits from their suffering.

If they were truly treated like kings, we wouldn’t see them drop dead on the track.

The Illusion of Choice

“They love to run” is not a justification for systemic abuse.

Yes, horses are fast, strong animals. But they don’t understand prize money, betting odds, or television ratings. They don’t line up at the start thinking, “Today’s the day I make history.”

They run because they are trained to. They are pushed, conditioned, and controlled. They literally run for their life, because if they fall? They risk being killed.

Follow the Money

Horse racing is big business, and horses are the collateral.

Every year, over £100 million is bet on the Grand National race alone. It’s the UK’s biggest betting event. That money fuels the entire industry.

Where does the money go? A lot of it ends up back in racing itself.

Bookmakers (like Bet365, Paddy Power, etc.) are required to give a portion of their profits back to the racing industry. This is called the betting levy, and in 2022, it gave horse racing over £70 million. The more people gamble, the more money racing gets.

Add on top of that:

• Big-name sponsors like Randox
• Billion-pound gambling revenue
• TV rights sold for millions
• Luxury hospitality packages
• Tax breaks and government support
• A powerful PR machine

With that kind of cash on the line, it’s no surprise the welfare of the horses comes second.

When a horse falls, the broadcasters often don’t show it. During this year’s Grand National, Broadway Boy’s fall was described by onlookers as “sickening”, but the TV coverage cut away. 

Commentators downplayed the incident, instead talking positively about the supposedly high standards of animal welfare in the industry. The official race replay skipped the fall entirely. 

This approach drew sharp criticism from animal rights organizations. Ben Newman of Animal Rising labeled ITV’s decision as a “cowardly refusal” to address the incident transparently.

This kind of thing happens a lot.

The media avoids graphic scenes. They use soft language. Instead of saying a horse had to be killed, they say it was “euthanised.” Instead of “suffered exhaustion,” they say “did not finish”.

It’s all about keeping the public comfortable and the money flowing.

Reality Checks

“They were bred for this.”

So were fighting dogs and dancing bears. That doesn’t make it right.

“They live better lives than most animals.”

Until they’re dead at 6 years old. A horse’s natural lifespan is 25-30 years.

“Without racing, they wouldn’t exist.”

Animals don’t owe us their lives in exchange for entertainment.

“They want to run.”

Then let them run—not race for profit, pain, and public spectacle.

These justifications aren’t about the horses. They’re about us. We created the problem. And we can stop it.

Death Isn’t an Accident: It’s Part of the Sport

Breeding horses for profit, whipping them for speed, forcing them to jump deadly obstacles, and killing them when they fall are not acts of love. 

The Grand National is not a harmless tradition. It’s institutionalised animal cruelty with fancy hats.

What You Can Do

You don’t have to be an activist. Just:

• Send this pre-written email to ITV
• Never bet on horse races
• Don’t attend or watch horse racing
• Share the truth when you see racing promoted 
• Discuss the topic with friends and family
• Read this report to educate yourself on the facts
• Support sanctuaries that rescue ex-racehorses
• Back campaigns to end horse racing cruelty
• Sign petitions to ban horse racing, like this one
• Oppose all forms of animal exploitation. Go vegan!