Gold Dancer and Get On George Die at Grand National 2026
Two horses died at this year’s Grand National festival. Gold Dancer died on Friday, 10 April, and Get On George died on Saturday. They both sustained fatal injuries while racing.
The Grand National is one of the most hazardous events in the world, forcing horses to gallop at high speed for up to four miles while jumping some of the largest and most notorious fences in British racing.
Horses Die at Races
According to Animal Aid’s Race Horse Death Watch, 69 horses have died at the Grand National Festival since 2000. This includes two horses, Celebre D’Allen and Willy De Houelle, who were killed in 2025.
Jump races are extremely dangerous for horses. Falls often result in broken necks, shattered limbs, spinal injuries, or fatal internal trauma. If their injuries don’t kill them straight away, horses are typically killed on site or later that day.
Deaths at Aintree are not freak accidents – they are foreseeable consequences of a race designed to be extreme to attract gambling revenues, sponsorship, and viewers.
Sometimes, horses are given performance enhancing medications (both illegal and legal) and drugs to mask the pain from previous injuries. This just exacerbates the risks of a catastrophic breakdown.
If the same harm were inflicted on animals in any other context, it would be widely condemned as abuse.
What Happens After the Cameras Stop Rolling
Horses who survive the Grand National frequently leave the track exhausted, injured, or traumatised. Once they are no longer fast or profitable enough, thousands are discarded every year. Many are abandoned, sold at auction, or slaughtered, their bodies entering the meat trade in the UK and overseas.
Take Action Against the Grand National and Other Horse Races!
PETA is campaigning against the Grand National – and we need your help! Urge ITV to cut ties with the cruel event today:
Help Animals in 2026: Renew Your PETA Membership!
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