The racing industry has become embroiled in a hot debate regarding the Grand National after Aintree racecourse and the Jockey Club announced a number of changes to the race last week.

The biggest change to the famous race is a reduction in field size from 40 runners to 34. The other changes include the race beginning at an earlier time in the day and the actual start to the race to begin via a standing start.

Ted Walsh, who famously trained Papillon to win the National in 2000, led the criticism of the changes, insisting they were “another step in the abolition of jump racing as we knew it.”

Jockey Club

“The Jockey Club is just slowly giving in, they’re on the back foot. They have to try and appease those people [who criticise the event] in order for a race like the National to continue, it is what it is. This is only another step in the abolition of jump racing as we knew it,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“They’ve backed themselves into a corner on a few occasions, there’s nothing you can do to try and appease the antis and the animal welfare. Nobody ever stood up for what the majority believed in that were involved in racing, they just got on the back foot.”

However, there was a good show of support for the changes as well, perhaps most significantly by Walsh’s son Ruby, who rode Papillon and Hedgehunter to win in 2005.

Walsh said: “All sports have to change. Soccer isn’t the game it was 15 or 20 years ago and rugby has had to evolve as well. Racing is no different, we have to evolve to ensure the future as well.”

Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma was central to the decision making for the changes, and regarding the reduction in field size, she said: “We know from research papers and internal analysis of jump races that there is a direct correlation between the number of runners and the risk of falling, unseating or being brought down.

“However, we also must consider that reducing the field size by too great a number could create a faster race and have an adverse impact in terms of safety.”

The changes come after last season’s Grand National was delayed 14 minutes due to animal rights protestors attempting to get onto the course, with 118 arrests made.