Several animal rights protesters were arrested after an attempt to disrupt the Scottish Grand National on Saturday.

Animal Rising claimed 25 supporters had made it onto the track and posted a video on their Twitter feed showing at least four activists breaking through the fence around the racecourse at Ayr, with some making it onto the track.

None of them successfully attached themselves to jumps and gates and they were not able to cancel or delay the big race, which was won by pre-race favourite Kitty’s Light.

A statement by the group said: “This afternoon eight-year-old Oscar Elite died on the very same track [as the Scottish Grand National]. We take action today with them in our hearts. A horse dies every other day in racing in the UK.

“We are here to protect horses by saying NO to this barbaric ‘sport.’ There are plenty of other things we can have fun doing on a Saturday afternoon that don’t involve watching animals come to harm.”

Read more:
Animal rights groups call for jump racing ban after three horses die at Aintree
Third racehorse dies during Grand National meeting – as 118 arrested over protests before event

Police Scotland tweeted they were “responding to a protest which is ongoing at Ayr Racecourse this afternoon. A significant operation is under way to safely remove those involved.

“A number of arrests have been made and an increased police presence remains at the scene.”

Ayr’s managing director David Brown praised the swift action of the police and security teams on course.

“The race went off to time, there was no notable delay and the professionalism of the team up here in Scotland was a credit to them, they dealt with it in a very efficient manner,” he said.

“What a great race it was and a great story, for Christian Williams to win it for the second year in a row with Kitty’s Light, after he finished second last year. I think for me this is Scotland’s showpiece race and it all ran to time.”

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Last Saturday, more than 110 people were arrested for criminal damage and public nuisance offences after they tried to stop the Grand National at Aintree.

Nine protesters made it onto the race track and tried to attach themselves to fences. The race was delayed by 15 minutes by their actions.

Related posts:

PM not ‘given up’ on foreign holidays from 17 May – and lateral flow tests could be the ticket China warns UK, US and Australia will pay the price for diplomatic boycott of Winter Olympics Azeem Rafiq calls for cricket to widen its talent pool after England’s Ashes humiliation Another 36 monkeypox cases detected in UK, taking total to 56 Fans line the streets as Manchester City celebrate Premier League title on open top bus Elizabeth line officially opens to public as first trains run on £19bn railway Man and woman released on bail amid investigation into fatal shooting of council worker Wasteland of abandoned tents and rubbish left after Reading festival Three people stabbed in incident in central London Morbidly obese teen died in conditions ‘unfit for any animal’ after parents ‘seriously neglected her’ Rapist PC case ‘absolutely despicable’, Sunak tells Met chief Teenager appears in court charged with murder of 18-year-old in Edinburgh