Tragedy overshadowed the Cheltenham meeting when three horses died – two in the same race.
Abuffalosoldier collapsed and succumbed to a suspected cardio-vascular issue shortly after winning the Holland Cooper Handicap Chase and after jockey Sean Bowen had just been interviewed by Alice Plunkett for ITV at the top of the pull up area.
In the same race, Bangers And Cash died from something similar, or what vets call “exercise-induced sudden death”, setting out for the last circuit. Both horses will undergo post mortems to establish the precise nature of the problem.
Speaking about Abuffalosoldier, Liam Kerns, the racecourse vet, said: “All the horses are thoroughly checked at home and by vets on arrival and if jockeys feel they are not happy with they pull them up but in any athletic activity there is a risk to both horses and humans of cardio vascular collapse.”
On a sombre afternoon, Napper Tandy also died as the result of a heavy fall two out in the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle. The race was won by Burdett Road, whose brother East India Dock won the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial on Saturday. He made all the running under Harry Cobden. Now that Burdett Road has learnt to settle in front and give himself a chance he will now step up to graded company with a view to seeing if he is Champion Hurdle material.
Meanwhile, Noel George’s star chaser Il Est Francais, who had been the short priced ante-post favourite for the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, was pulled up three quarters of a mile from home in France’s big autumn chase, the Prix Haye Jousselin.
The runaway winner of the Kauto Star at Kempton last year, Il Est Francais was bitterly disappointing on his next start back in France causing him to miss the Grand Steeple. However, after a summer off, he was very impressive on his comeback, winning unchallenged in September.
On Sunday, he led for two circuits but was overtaken setting out on the last and though still close to the front, James Reveley pulled him up abruptly before the big ditch down the far side. Reveley said he felt the chaser begin to lose his action with a circuit to run and did not want to risk continuing. One of his owners said the horse had had a pulmonary haemorrhage.
George said: “The horse seems okay. We’re going to do all the checks and see what’s gone on.”
At the ditch, the Louisa Carberry-trained Gran Diose, the giant 18-hands winner of last season’s Grand Steeple and a 10-1 shot here, was left in front and, despite idling after the last, he stayed there to run out a comfortable winner.
Though he was entered in last year’s King George by Wiltshire-born Carberry, she said a second Grand Steeple would now be the target and not a visit across the Channel. “The owners are French and for them that is the pinnacle,” she said. “With five Grade One winners lined up, that was one of the best chases run in France for a while.”
