sheeting to protect themselves from barbed wire) and ran onto the racetrack. Three protesters, who the Applicant believes included R1, ran on to the racetrack having accessed the event with tickets [White (DB/188) §26] [Truesdale (DB/30) §41]. It is understood that the protesters intended to glue themselves to the horse jumps [White (DB/188) §§24, 27] [DB/73-101, 197-202].8 The race was delayed by approximately 15 minutes, and the police made 118 arrests [White (DB/188) §31] [DB/46].9 31. The high probability of the planned disruptions occurring poses a real probability of significant and irreparable damage to the Applicant's interests. A delayed race is not a mere inconvenience: it is deeply damaging to the reputation of the race, and to the Applicant's relationships with sponsors, patrons, broadcasters and others [Truesdale (DB/30) §§62-67]. 32. There is also a real issue with safety, of both horses and humans. The trainer of the horse which suffered a fatal fall at the Grand National has explained that, in his view, the 15-minute delay caused by protesters was a major reason for the three fallen horses and five unseated jockeys in that race [White (DB/188) §32.1] [DB/218]. Moreover, the horses at the Epsom Derby are younger (3 year old colts), and so both less experienced and more excitable than those at the Grand National, and delays may agitate or frustrate them causing them to "rear up, kick out, or barge through", posing serious risks to anyone present [Knapp (DB/222) §§8-10]. 33. Further, the Race Track at Epsom contains blind corners such as Tattenham Corner (where the suffragette, Emily Davison, entered the track before she was knocked down and fatally injured) [Truesdale (DB/30) §26]. Protesters accessing the tracks,
Other tactics involved lying down limp, requiring several police officers to carry one individual away, and a slow march around the racecourse perimeter [DB/46]. AR protesters also ran onto the tracks at the Epsom Derby in 2022 [DB/46], the Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse on 22 April 2023, [Truesdale (DB/30) §42] [DB/102-111], and at Doncaster Racecourse on 6 May 2023 [DB/112-115].
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