There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
13 Mar 12
23:46
Joined:
Date Joined:
05 Jan 10
By Sportsmail Reporter
Animal welfare groups have reacted angrily after three horses tragically died on the first day's racing at the Cheltenham Festival.
The victims were 11-year-old Scotsirish, 13-year-old Garde Champetre and seven-year-old Educated Evans who died on the course which has killed nine horses in the last five years.
Scotsirish and Garde Champetre were both racing in the gruelling cross-country chase while Educated Evans had been entered into the final race of the day - the two-and-a-half mile novice's handicap chase - when disaster struck.
Scotsirish and Educated Evans broke hind legs while Garde Champetre suffered a serious injury and had to be destroyed.
Animal Aid's Horse Racing Consultant, Dene Stansall said: 'The race in which Scotsirish and Garde Champetre were killed should never have taken place, given that it was run on dangerously firm ground.
'The layout of the cross-country course does not allow the operators to soften the going by watering what was officially termed "good to firm" ground.
'Rather than take the precautionary step of calling off the race, officials risked the lives of the horses, and two paid the ultimate price.
'Novice horse Educated Evans was unable to survive in an extremely crowded race that tested his ability to breaking point.
'More horses have been killed at Cheltenham Racecourse than at any other in the country over the past five years - a little known statistic that the owners of the course will not be keen to share with the paying punters.
'Animal Aid protestors will be at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday to remind race-goers of the heavy price paid by horses at this notorious event.'
The news come less than 12 months after two horses died in horror-falls at the Grand National, played out in front of a worldwide television audience of 600 million.
The Aintree race had to divert round the fences where the fatalities had occurred to avoid the bodies of the victims.
Meanwhile, Rock On Ruby ran out a most impressive winner of the Stan James Champion Hurdle under Noel Fehily, comfortably beating favourite Hurricane Fly who finished third.
Assistant trainer Harry Fry, who effectively looks after the training of Rock On Ruby in Nicholls' satellite yard, said: 'I'm speechless. This is what you dream of.
'It's great to be part of the team. With Richard (Barber) and Paul, you wouldn't ask for better.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2114525/Cheltenham-Festival-2012-Three-horses-die-day.html#ixzz1p2WFdrLZ
Animal welfare groups have reacted angrily after three horses tragically died on the first day's racing at the Cheltenham Festival.
The victims were 11-year-old Scotsirish, 13-year-old Garde Champetre and seven-year-old Educated Evans who died on the course which has killed nine horses in the last five years.
Scotsirish and Garde Champetre were both racing in the gruelling cross-country chase while Educated Evans had been entered into the final race of the day - the two-and-a-half mile novice's handicap chase - when disaster struck.
Scotsirish and Educated Evans broke hind legs while Garde Champetre suffered a serious injury and had to be destroyed.
Animal Aid's Horse Racing Consultant, Dene Stansall said: 'The race in which Scotsirish and Garde Champetre were killed should never have taken place, given that it was run on dangerously firm ground.
'The layout of the cross-country course does not allow the operators to soften the going by watering what was officially termed "good to firm" ground.
'Rather than take the precautionary step of calling off the race, officials risked the lives of the horses, and two paid the ultimate price.
'Novice horse Educated Evans was unable to survive in an extremely crowded race that tested his ability to breaking point.
'More horses have been killed at Cheltenham Racecourse than at any other in the country over the past five years - a little known statistic that the owners of the course will not be keen to share with the paying punters.
'Animal Aid protestors will be at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday to remind race-goers of the heavy price paid by horses at this notorious event.'
The news come less than 12 months after two horses died in horror-falls at the Grand National, played out in front of a worldwide television audience of 600 million.
The Aintree race had to divert round the fences where the fatalities had occurred to avoid the bodies of the victims.
Meanwhile, Rock On Ruby ran out a most impressive winner of the Stan James Champion Hurdle under Noel Fehily, comfortably beating favourite Hurricane Fly who finished third.
Assistant trainer Harry Fry, who effectively looks after the training of Rock On Ruby in Nicholls' satellite yard, said: 'I'm speechless. This is what you dream of.
'It's great to be part of the team. With Richard (Barber) and Paul, you wouldn't ask for better.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2114525/Cheltenham-Festival-2012-Three-horses-die-day.html#ixzz1p2WFdrLZ
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 16
|
By:
Soon they will come to there senses and ban this type of racing, if you can call it that.
|
|
By:
plumpton, fakenham, wincanton....sh!t happens, horses die,
Oh its Cheltenham and somehow it makes things different? |
|
By:
'More horses have been killed at Cheltenham Racecourse than at any other in the country over the past five years - a little known statistic that the owners of the course will not be keen to share with the paying punters.
Is that as a % or just on numbers cos i'd hazard a guess that there are a more runners than at any other course. No_Bs - do you want to be the one to shoot all the horses - or would you rather look after them in a field and watch them slowly get bored to death from inactivity? |
|
By:
I am refering to all jumps races, ban the lot.
|
|
By:
'Animal Aid protestors will be at Cheltenham Racecourse on Wednesday to remind race-goers of the heavy price paid by horses at this notorious event.'
If they behave in the manner that i've seen them do recently at a meeting I attended, they may find themselves needing some First Aid. |
|
By:
got to agree , ban all jump racing cause injuries never happen on the flat , oh hang on a minute they do. Erm what can the solution be?
Ive got it , ban all racing and then show jumping and anything involving horses and there will be no more injuries and probably no more horses. |
|
By:
Yes bs so what does do you do with all the horses once you have banned nh racing?
|
|
By:
No lets ban
Eating meat- We breed sheep,cows,pigs etc then kill them and more often than not throw the meat away. Animal Testing- So who cares if a child has cancer and the scientists need to try a drug out on rats, monkeys etc. Zoos- Animals should not be kept in cages. Police dogs and horses- Look into the stats on how many of these are injured to keep us safe. |
|
By:
And stop killing insects.
|
|
By:
As I said on another thred like this, so much sentimental tosh. Horses in the wild face exactly the same dangers and die a rather slower, more agonising death, plus they face the constant threat of predators ripping them to pieces. At least these horses led a rather pampered existence before their unhappy demise.
|
|
By:
Is there something wrong with the Cross-Country course: two broken hind legs at relatively early stages of the race?
|
|
By:
Harry Handsome died at Sedgefield yesterday. I backed it and although it might be sad to put a horse down, some of these 'jockeys' have to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves if they really have the ability to even sit on a horse.
|
|
By:
doesnt get watered to same extent....ground was fair bit quicker than on other courses
|
|
By:
Its Ironic that they get slower ground at places like Goodwood
 |
|
By:
The cross-country course may not have been watered but why the hind legs? Even if they were landing on concrete, would it not be the forelegs and shoulders taking the impact? Is there something odd about one or more of the obstacles on this course that leads to hind leg trauma?
|
|
By:
i think if you turned up at a PTP meeting with ground like that you would be looking at 2 and 3 horse races all day,the only reason there was so many runners in yesterdays race was because it was cheltenham and trainers and owners were willing to risk their horses because thats what they had been aiming at all season.i have every sympathy for the horses,but im afraid 1/2 a tonne of horse shouldnt be jumping banks and twisting and turning round a course like that when the ground is as firm as it obviously was
|