Animal Aid plans to launch a protest against the running of Grand National at Aintree, England, on April 8 by demonstrating at the track, posting signs at betting parlors, and passing out 100,000 flyers alleging cruelty to horses.

"Every year, hundreds of horses die on British courses and many more suffer permanent injuries," Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, told the London Daily Telegraph. "There is no such thing as a 'harmless flutter'; the British public are unwittingly gambling with animals' lives."

To counteract the protest, the Countryside Alliance, a pro-hunting group, will lease Irish-trained Buck Rogers for the day to run in the colors of one of its members, Josephine Skinner.

John Maxse, a spokesman for the British Jockey Club, suggested to members of Animal Aid that they speak with the people involved with day-to-day care of the horses before they deem the sport cruel. "Those who work in the sport are, in most cases, not well paid at all, but dedicate themselves to the horses through a genuine love," he said.

David Muir of the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, an agency that seeks to make racing safer for horses, told the Telegraph: "The Grand National is a unique race. We are keen to keep a dialogue open and then, if there is a particular problem, we can address it."

The Grand National is a 4 ½-mile race over 30 jumps that has drawn criticism in past years for its equine fatalities. To make the race safer, the course was made easier and qualifications were stiffened so that only experienced jockeys and horses would be permitted to compete.