Jockey Michael Nolan was placed on a 10-day suspension following Celebre D’Allen’s death
Celebre D’Allen, a horse competing in the Grand National, has died.
The 13-year-old horse died on Monday, April 7 after collapsing in the Grand National two days prior, according to the British Horseracing Authority.
“All of us at the BHA are saddened to learn of the death of Celebre D’Allen following Saturday’s Randox Grand National,” the BHA wrote in a statement on Tuesday, April 8. “It has been clear to see since Saturday afternoon just how much the horse meant to his connections and we send our condolences to them today.”
The authority emphasized that the horses competing in the race undergo a thorough health check.
D’Allen received treatment on site after collapsing “towards the end of the race,” per the BHA. The horse was “transported back to the first-class veterinary facilities at the racecourse stables” where it was kept overnight. The next day, he was taken to a “nearby stud” connected to its owners after “having shown improvement.”
“The BHA and Aintree racecourse will analyze the race and this incident in detail, as is the case every year and with every fatal injury in any race. This will include the horse being sent for post-mortem,” the authority said.
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PEOPLE reached out to the British Horseracing Authority and Aintree Racecourse for additional information, but did not immediately hear back.
Per BBC, jockey Michael Nolan, D’Allen’s rider during the race, was been suspended for 10 days after Aintree ruled that Nolan had “continued in the race when the horse appeared to have no more to give and was clearly losing ground after the second-last fence.”
BHA told BBC that the rider will not face further punishment on their behalf.
D’Allen’s trainers, Phillip Hobbs and Johnson White, said that they were “heartbroken” over the horse’s death.
“He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving. However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved,” they said in a statement on X. “He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly.”
