4 horses die at Cheltenham Festival as charity urges better safety and welfare measures
4 horses die at Cheltenham Festival as charity urges better safety and welfare measures
Sat, March 14, 2026 at 2:32 PM UTC
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Apolon De Charnie, ridden by Paul Townsend, goes past the winning post to win the JCB Triumph Hurdle on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival in Cheltenham, England, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland) ()
CHELTENHAM, England (AP) — The deaths of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup — underline the need for the racing industry to provide better equine care, a leading animal welfare charity said Saturday.
Hansard suffered a fatal injury when pulled up in a race on Tuesday, HMS Seahorse and Saint Le Fort died following falls on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, while 12-year-old Envoi Allen collapsed and died after competing in the grueling Gold Cup on Friday.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the four deaths took the number of horses to have lost their lives in competitive racing in Britain this year to 24.
“The scale of fatalities reiterate the urgency that lessons must be learned, including what caused the loss of life, decision-making during the race, and any future means of prevention,” the RSPCA said.
“We continue to engage,” it added, “with the industry to advocate for further improvements, including the introduction of greater safety measures, and improvements for equine welfare both on and off the track. Given the wealth and expertise within the sector, we remain hopeful that there remains significant scope to do more to meaningfully improve equine welfare.”
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The RSPCA said horses deserve "to have every possible step taken to improve their safety and welfare” given the money events like the Cheltenham Festival and the upcoming Grand National generate.
“We will keep engaging with the racing industry to encourage continual welfare improvements,” the charity said, “and explore further measures to protect horses from injury and death, and promote good welfare throughout their lives.”
James Given, the British Horseracing Authority’s director of equine regulation safety and welfare, described the latest deaths as devastating and said all would be subject to in-depth examination as part of the regulator’s standard procedure.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
