Giovinco dies in first race at Ladies Day at Aintree

A horse has died at Ladies Day at the Grand National Festival.

Racing TV and the Racing Post have reported that Giovinco died during the 1.45pm Mildmay Novice Chase at Aintree on Friday (April 12). The horse was being ridden by Stephen Mulqueen.

The horse fatality comes after big changes made by the Jockey Club in order to protect the welfare of racehorses and jockeys.

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A statement released in February said: "We leave no stone unturned in providing world-class standards of welfare for our participants and undertake a review after every Randox Grand National. These reviews look at a wide range of factors and the learnings from the process drive a number of changes, large and small, annually.

"In October we announced that one of the changes being made from 2024 would involve bringing forward the start time of the race, which has been 5.15pm since 2016. This was a decision we took after a number of participants and other racing stakeholders raised concerns about the long build-up to the race throughout the day and heightened tension as a result.

"These were not issues which had been identified as a problem when the race was previously staged at 3.45pm and 4.15pm. Bringing forward the start time of the Randox Grand National by 75 minutes to 4pm will also help us to maintain optimal jumping ground, as warm or breezy conditions can dry out the racing surface.

“We would like to thank both our broadcast partner ITV and the British Horseracing Authority for their assistance in helping to bring about this change to a race which remains a British institution, loved and watched by millions of people