2013 Grand National to modifications made for the previous year's race, Aintree announced that a number of further changes had been made for the 2013 National. Twelve of the 16 fences on the course were rebuilt with the timber frames within them replaced by a softer material known as "plastic birch". The fences are still covered with at least 14 inches of spruce and will remain the same height. The starting line was also moved 90 yards closer to the first fence, further away from the spectators' stands and thereby reducing slightly the overall distance. Aintree and the Professional Jockeys' Association jointly issued
What Strong Fences Make What Strong Fences Make What Strong Fences Make is a 2009 play by Israel Horovitz. Horovitz told an interviewer that he wrote "What Strong Fences Make" because "another voice needed to be heard" in the wake of Caryl Churchill's play "Seven Jewish Children", which he argues "offensive, distorted and manipulative". Horovitz has offered to allow any theater that wishes to produce "What Strong Fences Make" free of royalties, provided that a collection is taken up following all performances for the benefit of ONE Family Fund, a charity that assists children wounded in attacks on Israel. The playwright has made the