A horse died on the primary day of Cheltenham Festival after a horror fall through the National Hunt Challenge Cup race.
Malinello, an eight-year-old ridden by Gina Andrews and skilled by Ben Pauling, hit the sixteenth fence and fell awkwardly. Cheltenham’s veterinary crew attended as he lay on the racecourse, however Cheltenham later confirmed his dying.
A spokesperson mentioned: “Sadly Malinello sustained an injury in the final race of the day. He was attended to by the on-course veterinary team and assessed immediately, but very sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with all his connections.”
Animal welfare teams raised their issues over the newest incident.
Recent runnings at Cheltenham have been marred by the tragic passing of horses after falls in competitors. According to long-standing animal rights group Animal Aid, no less than one horse has died yearly that the Festival has been held since 2000. The organisation’s information exhibits {that a} complete of 73 horses have died after working on the occasion within the final 23 years.
On Tuesday, Animal Aid referred to as for an finish to the form of fence leaping seen within the Hunt Chase, writing: “RIP – 8 year old Malinello was killed at Cheltenham today in the notorious amateur riders race, the National Hunt Chase. It’s time to Ban Jump Racing.”
The RSPCA tweeted: “We’re very distressed to hear of the death of Malinello at the Cheltenham Festival today. We believe that racehorses should have a good life on and off the track, and should never be exposed to unacceptable risk of injury or death. We will be discussing this incident with the BHA.”
Malinello, owned by Martin and Lynn Jones, had raced 9 instances in his profession and picked up two wins, incomes nearly £20,000.
