Pre-race checks to be extended to all races at Grand National meeting

The pre-race examinations that were conducted before each race at Cheltenham will be extended to all races at the Randox Health Grand National Festival, the BHA has announced.

The checks had previously applied to runners in the Foxhunters', Topham Chase and Grand National, but Aintree has requested all races during the meeting be covered.

They include a veterinary assessment and trot-ups of each horse on the morning of their race, which will be the last stage of a process to identify in advance any horses who may have a medical issue.

Gary Moore fell foul of the new system last week after his runners, Ar Mest and Diakali, failed their pre-race checks and had to be withdrawn from their respective races at Cheltenham.

The BHA has stated that full details of the new measures had been communicated directly to every trainer, saying: "[We] worked in liaison and partnership with a number of trainers prior to the event to try to avoid any situations whereby a horse needed to be withdrawn on raceday, and we look forward to working with trainers on the same process ahead of Aintree."

For horses running in the Grand National, trainers must also submit a medical declaration form covering the 45-day period prior to the day of the race, which falls from February 20 onwards.

Additionally, those with a horse who may be described as a "poor mover" have been requested to identify them over the coming days so that they can be examined and any abnormalities noted in conjunction with both the trainer and their stable veterinarian.

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