Two horses competing in Great Britain's famed Grand National steeplechase were euthanized after sustaining serious injuries during the race, which was held April 14 at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. The race spans four-and-a-half miles and includes 30 jumping efforts.

Both horses–pre-race favorite Synchronised and According To Pete–sustained fatal injuries during falls at Becher's Brook, the largest and most daunting fence on the course. The falls occurred at different times during the race.

"In both cases the horse incurred a fracture to the leg and the humane option was to put the injured horses down," Tim Morris, DVM, PhD, British Horseracing Authority (BHA) director of equine science and welfare, said in a written statement. "The Grand National undoubtedly represents a challenge to both horse and rider. It has inherent risks, but, working closely with Aintree and other stakeholders, we do all we can to minimize these risks while maintaining the unique character of the race. We will examine closely the circumstances which led to both incidents."

"We are reasonably advanced in the process of examining the incidents which led to Synchronised and According To Pete being put down," added Paul Bittar, BHA chief executive, in another statement. "While that process still needs to be completed, it is relevant to point out that although both horses lost their riders jumping Becher's Brook, Synchronised galloped away from the fence seemingly without injury and then subsequently incurred a fracture to a hind leg when jumping riderless, while According To Pete was brought down by another horse on the second circuit