Horrific scenes in the final race of the Cheltenham Festival

The carnage in the final race of the 2018 Meeting saw experienced race horse Dresden fall at the second fence, jumping in what could only be described as totally atrocious ground conditions.

As the race progressed other horses succumbed to jumping out of the deep ground – subsequently falling. The young chaser North Hill Harvey fell exhausted three fences from the finish line. He never got up. The racecourse’s green screens quickly enveloped him from sight. Some Plan fell in the same race, and was later destroyed.

With four deaths on the final day’s racing and a total of six at the 2018 Meeting, Cheltenham is a disgrace and a venue of blatant animal abuse.

The six dead horses are:

• Mossback (IRE)
• Report To Base (IRE)
• Sandsend (FR)
• Dresden (IRE)
• North Hill Harvey
• Some Plan

Animal Aid will be speaking with the British Horseracing Authority to express grave concerns on the state of British racing.

Says Isobel Hutchinson, Director, Animal Aid:

‘The bloodshed at this week’s Cheltenham Festival is simply unforgivable. It seems to us that these animals are being treated like disposable pieces of sports equipment – not sentient animals who can feel pain and terror.

‘Questions then urgently need to be answered about the regulation of racing, which we believe is utterly deficient, and constantly puts horses at risk of suffering sickening injuries and dying brutal deaths. While this cruel sport continues, the very least we can do is to ensure that horses are not paying for it with their lives.’

Notes to Editors

• For more information, contact Animal Aid on 01732 364546
• For a list of all Cheltenham’s equine victims, see our Race Horse Death Watch website