Police guard of honour at National scrapped in name of safety

Apr 3 2008 by Ben Schofield, Liverpool Daily Post

THE winning horse in Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National will not be flanked by Merseyside Police horses after the race, it emerged yesterday.

The decision, taken by racecourse officials for safety reasons, will end generations of Aintree tradition.

The city-region’s most senior police officer was expected to complete a hat-trick of appearances in the winner’s enclosure.

Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe has ridden into the parade ring for the past two years.

He first accompanied Numbersixvalverde off the track in 2006 and escorted Silver Birch last year.

But course managers, concerned about overcrowding in the paddock, have cut the numbers allowed in, including the two mounted policemen.

A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: “Aintree management advised they are trying to reduce the amount of people and horses in the winner’s enclosure to try to stop overcrowding in this area.”

The spokeswoman said Mr Hogan-Howe, a fan of the Grand National and former mounted policeman, was still expected to attend the event.

Before taking Merseyside police’s top job, he was responsible for the on-site policing at the three-day meeting.

Aintree’s marketing and PR manager Emma Owens said: “We have carried out a review of how the winner’s enclosure works from an operational point of view, and there have been some changes made for 2008, one of which is that there won’t be the police horses leading in the winner this year.”