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PROBE INTO AINTREE DEATHS CONTINUES

More investigations will take place into the causes of the deaths of four horses at Aintree.

The RSPCA remains convinced that the racecourse could not be blamed for the fatalities of Strong Promise, Lake Kariba, Rossell Island and Architect on the first day of the Grand National meeting.

"It was a very sad day and you can't condone the death of any racehorse but I can only agree with the conclusions of the Jockey Club's Peter Webbon that yesterday's deaths were freak occurrences," said the RSPCA's chief equine adviser David Muir.

"If you could go out on the course and say that the death of Architect was for this reason then you could so something about it.

"But at this stage it's impossible to say why he died and we've got to do more research into it.

"I'm not saying that speed caused the deaths but regarding the National I would like to see jockeys taking things steadily.

"If you look at those old black and white films horses definitely went slower in the old days.

Officials will be keeping their fingers crossed that there is no repeat of the event of the first days.

However with another dry morning, the ground is getting faster which is likely to increase the risk of injury to horses.

There are already four absentees from the first race on today's card as well as four in later races.