Horse dies after collapsing near end of Grand National

Celebre D’Allen, one of the horses competing in last weekend’s Grand National, has died. The 13-year-old pulled up in the showpiece event on Saturday and collapsed on the course.

- FLO CLIFFORD

Following assessment by vets he was able to walk onto a horse ambulance, and was held overnight at Aintree Racecourse, with his connections issuing an update on Sunday saying he looked “much brighter”. However, his trainers Philip Hobbs and Johnson White shared a further update yesterday morning, saying that his condition had worsened overnight and he had died.

“We’re heartbroken to share that Celebre D’Allen has passed away,” they wrote on social media. “He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving. However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved. He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly.”

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced that an inquiry was held after the Grand National to look into whether Celebre D’Allen’s jockey, Micheal Nolan, had continued “when the horse appeared to have no more to give and was clearly losing ground” after the penultimate fence. He was suspended for 10 days after the inquiry.