The head of British horseracing says the Grand National will never be risk-free and is warning against any knee-jerk reaction in the wake of two horses dying for the second straight year during the world's most grueling jumps race.
Betting favorite Synchronised and According to Pete were euthanized after sustaining injuries, putting the prestigious event under further scrutiny from animal rights groups who have called for it to be banned.
Paul Bittar, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, on Sunday said, ''Naturally our objective is for there to be no fatalities, but we also recognize that we cannot remove risk altogether from such a competitive activity.''
Bittar says organizers are gathering information from the race ahead of a review.
