Willy De Houelle's Grand National death addressed as Aintree boss put on the spot

An Aintree boss insists the course is not afraid to make changes after a horse died on day one of the racing festival. Dickon White, The Jockey Club's Aintree & north-west regional director, says there are annual reviews on ways courses can be made safer for horses.

Willy De Houelle yesterday. Jockey Rachael Blackmore was taken into an ambulance but was later confirmed to be okay. One other horse fell during the race, which took place on the Mildmay course rather than the Grand National hurdles.

Animal rights organisation Animal Aid called for a ban on jump racing following Willy De Houelle's death. Aintree has also faced wider criticism after confirmation that Rich Ricci's horse had died. But White insists the animals' welfare is the top priority and that changes to make the track safer will be considered.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, White said: "Equine welfare is the number one priority for us at Aintree and across The Jockey Club. We'll continue to look at ways of making racing here at Aintree as safe as it possibly can.

"We're not afraid to make change. We'll review every year and look at doing that. But horseracing is like the majority of elite sports - there is an element of risk to it. We're very sad and [send our] condolences to the Ricci family. They had great success and have also lost a horse as well."

Four-year-old Willy De Houelle had struggled over the third hurdle before suffering a heavy fall at the sixth. His injuries were soon confirmed to be fatal. The highly-rated horse was ridden by former Grand National champion Blackmore and trained by Willie Mullins.

Naturally Nimble and jockey JJ Slevin also fell during the race but both were okay.

ITV presenter Ed Chamberlin confirmed Willy De Houelle's death shortly after the race, telling viewers: "More now on our last race I'm afraid, news has filtered through that Willy De Houelle, I'm afraid, suffered a fatal injury in that race. Our thoughts with the Richis (owners), we hope Rachael is okay and Willie Mullins, that will take the gloss off of him winning that contest. That's sad news coming out of the Juvenile Hurdle."

Animal Aid responded to the news by saying: "The death toll of this event is now 66 horses killed since 2000.

"The Grand National three-day meeting is lethal for horses - who have no choice but to run for their lives on a racecourse designed to push them to their limits. Furthermore, National Hunt or 'jump' racing has killed more than 3,000 horses since 2001. This is why we are calling for a ban on jump racing, with the cruel Cheltenham and Aintree festivals being the first to go."