How many horses died at the 2026 Grand National? | Racing | Sport
The 2026 Grand National has finished with I Am Maximus declared the winner. The headline race was won in dramatic fashion by the favourite, ridden by Paul Townend, the same victorious duo as two years ago.
The marquee event was reduced a number of years ago from a field of 40 to improve equine safety, with a full field of 34 lining up this time around. In the immediate aftermath, concerns were raised for Top of the Bill after he fell, though ITV Sport reported that the horse was up and walked back to the stables, where he will undergo further assessment.
Quai De Bourbon, who went down at the second, walked into a horse ambulance and was being assessed at the stables. Mr Vango also walked into a horse ambulance after being assessed and likewise has returned to the stables for further assessment. All the remaining runners are reported to be fine with no concerns. As it stands, no horses are reported to have died during the Grand National itself.
There were 16 finishers in total: I Am Maximus (1st), Iroko (2nd), Jordans (3rd), Johnnywho (4th), High Class Hero (5th), Favori De Champdou (6th), Final Orders (7th), Champ Kiely (8th), Three Card Brag (9th), Monty’s Star (10th), Answer To Kayf (11th), Gorgeous Tom (12th), Imperial Saint (13th), Haiti Couleurs (14th), Twig (15th) and Firefox (16th).
Meanwhile, earlier on in the day at Aintree, there was a tragedy Get On George died after participating in the second race of the afternoon. He had pulled up during the William Hill Handicap Hurdle and jockey Jack Tudor quickly dismounted. An assessment was carried out at Aintree before the decision to “humanely euthanise” Get On George was reached.
On Friday, Gold Dancer sustained a fatal injury in the William Hill Midmay Novices’ Chase. The horse, trained by Willie Mullins, produced a near-faultless display to win the opening race of day two by a distance.
However, an error at the final jump caused his back legs to collide with the fence before crossing the line. Upon realising something was wrong, jockey Paul Townend pulled up and dismounted.
The horse was treated by Aintree’s veterinary team. Unfortunately, despite the work of the medical staff, Gold Dancer could not be saved.
“He’s been put down. He broke his back,” said Eddie O’Leary, racing manager for the Gigginstown owned by his brother.
“It’s terribly sad for the horse. What could Paul Townend do? He felt fine, it was just when he pulled up that something was wrong.”
An Aintree racecourse statement said: “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after the line and dismounted.
“He was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary team but sadly he could not be saved. Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections.”
The deaths of two horses during the Grand National Festival will be mourned by all connected to the sport. Data collected by the Jockey Club shows that the average number of fallers at the Aintree event has halved across history. Meanwhile, the 10-year fatality rate has dropped by more than a third.
