After the 10-minute delay in the start of the Grand National on Saturday, the Horseracing Regulatory Authority decided to issue a report. The HRA stated that the unique nature of the Grand National, with a field of 40, was the cause of the problems with the starting procedure at Aintree.

HRA spokesman Paul Struthers said that organizers were not happy with the delay after it took four tries to get the 40 contestants behind the tape to begin the race. Starter Peter Haynes refused to let them go since some of the horses had their noses over the line.

“The problem was that the horses' heads were on the line and when their heads are on the tape you can't let them go,” Mr. Struthers explained. Despite the general discontent, Struthers believes that a minor delay is far preferable to a public disaster like the void race in 1993.

The Horseracing Regulatory Authority will deeply review every aspect of the race, as it does every year, and make every possible effort to find a solution before next year’s meeting.