Aintree so far: Gold Dancer killed just minutes after winning

The second day of Aintree’s three-day spectacle saw Gold Dancer lose his life – but not before making his “connections” a lot of money by winning the 14:20 Mildmay Novices’ Chase.  

The young horse, just days from his seventh birthday, struggled through the final fence of a long and gruelling race, but jockey Paul Townend continued to ride him until the finish line, even hitting Gold Dancer with his whip. It was announced shortly after that Gold Dancer had suffered a broken back and had been killed. 

Our Campaign Manager, Isobel McNally, says “The fact that the ‘winner’ of this race was dead just minutes later proves this so-called ‘sport’ has no winners. Injuries and deaths like Gold Dancer’s are so common that they occur on average every other day across the country.” 

As Aintree claims its 76th victim since 2007, it’s obvious that this is part of a wider pattern – one in which horses lose their lives while spectators stand by, placing bets or, judging by ITV’s coverage, not even paying attention to the racing. 

Elsewhere, a further 30 horses did not finish their races or were “pulled up” due to exhaustion, distress, or injury.  

As racing continues tomorrow, we too will continue to monitor the horses who did not finish – whose injuries may result in their deaths day, even weeks later – and horses forced to race on tracks across the country. 

Further resources: 

• Our latest annual report, Victims of British and Irish Horse Racing 2025-26 is available now. 
• Death Watch launched in 2007 after nine horses died during Cheltenham the previous year. We aim to record and expose every single death of horses due to on-course injuries in Britain. 
• In 2026, we’re celebrating the Year of the Horse and asking people to boycott watching or betting on racing.  

For more information or an interview, contact Isobel McNally at isobel@animalaid.org.uk