Paul Townend has been cleared of any wrongdoing after sickening incident forged a cloud over the second day of the Randox Grand National assembly.
Gold Dancer, Townend’s mount within the William Hill Mildmay Novices Chase, had produced an excellent spherical of leaping within the Grade One contest, apart from the final fence. The gelding, owned by Gigginstown Home Stud, sprawled on touchdown after hitting that impediment.
It appeared momentarily as if Townend – the seven-time Irish champion, who’s thought to be one of the best Nationwide Hunt rider of his era – may slip out of the saddle however he regained his stability and was capable of cajole Gold Dancer for the final furlong to win the race and declare the £67,524 first prize.
There was, nonetheless, a determined aftermath; 50 yards after crossing the road, Townend appeared behind and instantly dismounted the seven-year-old. He was shortly attended to by racecourse vets however, on examination, they found Gold Dancer had damaged his again and the gelding was euthanised.
Inevitably, there was outrage and opprobrium rained down on Townend. PETA (Folks for the Moral Therapy of Animals) mentioned the assembly ought to be referred to as ‘The Grand Bloodbath’ as they identified that 68 horses had been fatally injured at Aintree since 2000.
Figures launched by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in January confirmed that the deadly harm price of horses in 2025 had dropped to 0.22% (193 from 86,281 runners throughout all programs), which was down from 0.25% in 2024.
Gold Dancer has died at Aintree after being put down – moments after profitable his race
The horse was considerably forward within the race because it was whipped after the autumn by jockey Paul Townend
Townend was approached for remark however didn’t want to communicate after the race. The BHA stewards held an enquiry when he returned to the weighing room, as is normal, and after listening to all proof they mentioned no blame might be hooked up.
The BHA launched a press release saying: ‘We’re all saddened by the deadly harm of Gold Dancer and our ideas are with all people linked to the horse. After the race, the stewards held an enquiry to think about the circumstances of this incident and took proof from vets and the horse’s jockey.
‘Paul Townend instructed the stewards that, following a foul mistake on the closing fence, Gold Dancer took a stride or two to collect himself however felt sound and continued operating in a straight line to the end.
‘He then reported that Gold Dancer’s motion modified after the road, as he rounded the bend and altered from a canter to a trot, at which level he instantly dismounted to permit veterinary surgeons to shortly attend to the horse.
‘The veterinary evaluation was that the suitable plan of action was to humanely euthanise the horse.’
They added: ‘Having reviewed the footage of the incident, James Given, the BHA’s Director of Equine Regulation, Security and Welfare, agreed that Gold Dancer’s motion was typical of a horse within the closing phases of such a race, that he appeared sound till rounding the bend.
‘As is the case with any deadly harm, the incident will now be checked out intimately by means of our fatality evaluate course of, which is a part of the game’s dedication to ongoing enhancements in racehorse security.’
Given, a revered determine throughout the trade and a former coach, gave an interview to ITV Racing, wherein he mentioned: ‘I used to be within the enquiry and gave proof. I used to be capable of watch the incident from entrance on and behind and the horse stayed (ran) on as straight to the road.
‘He did not present any indicators of deviating off a straight line or not being uneven. The again legs had been following the entrance legs and it was solely after that they had gone previous the profitable line and turned left, the motion modified.
‘That was the one level at which Paul turned conscious. I do not imagine he was capable of discover that (the horse had been injured) in any respect. I’ve tried to show that by the way in which I’ve defined I might see the horse was uneven and had not deviated off a straight line.
Townend continued to whip the horse – which was clearly struggling – till it crossed the road earlier than dismounting
‘The horse felt regular to him. It was solely after the horse modified from a canter right down to a trot that he felt one thing unsuitable and he behaved precisely as he ought to have executed, pulling the horse up and leaping off him right away.’
Eddie O’Leary, brother of Ryanair boss Michael who owns Gigginstown Home Stud, mentioned: ‘It is terribly unhappy for the horse. What might Paul Townend do? He felt advantageous, it was simply when he pulled up that one thing was unsuitable.’
An Aintree Racecourse assertion learn: ‘The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after the road and dismounted.
‘He was instantly attended to by our skilled veterinary staff however sadly he couldn’t be saved. Our heartfelt condolences are along with his connections.’
Animal proper group Animal Help, in the meantime, issued a press release inside minutes of the occasions going down.
They mentioned: ‘The truth that the ‘winner’ of this race was useless minutes later proves that this so referred to as ‘sport’ has no winners. Accidents and deaths resembling these are widespread in racing, occurring on common each different day throughout the nation.
‘It is no accident – it is a predictable consequence of pushing horses past their bodily limits. Damage and demise go hand in hand with racing, and that is why Animal Help is looking on the general public to show their backs on this ‘sport’ and boycott horse racing.’
Marketing campaign Supervisor on Horse Racing at Animal Help, Isobel McNally, added: ‘This can be a horrifying factor to occur to an animal, all in service of an occasion that, ITV protection, seems to be extra of a social occasion for attendees.
‘Everybody who has purchased a ticket or positioned a guess has paid for this horse to die. All of us have the chance to repair this downside very simply. We will go and drink elsewhere. We will place bets on one thing else. Animals’ lives ought to by no means be the collateral harm in anybody’s good time.’
The RSPCA mentioned: ‘We’re devastated by Gold Dancer’s demise. ‘That is the forty second fatality linked to aggressive horse-racing within the UK this 12 months alone – and it’s only April.
‘Classes have to be realized from any tragedy like this – across the contributing components, pre- and mid-race decision-making, and technique of prevention.
‘We will probably be talking with the British Horseracing Authority later at this time (10 April) to debate the incident, perceive their evaluation of what occurred, and the way it might have been prevented – together with an replace on the welfare of different horses who’re reported to have fallen at this time.
‘The RSPCA continues to have interaction with the trade within the hope of seeing larger security measures launched to the game, and enhancements for equine welfare each on and off the observe.’
