Animal Aid raise concerns

OFFICIALS at the British Horseracing Authority have denied claims Many Clouds was at increased risk in continuing to race having previously had what was described as a “wobble” after two of his big-race successes.

The Oliver Sherwood-trained 10-yearold collapsed and died shortly after the line following his victory over Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack at Cheltenham on Saturday.

There had been concern over his wellbeing immediately after his Hennessy Gold Cup win of 2014 and his finest hour in the Grand National at Aintree in 2015 but he swiftly recovered on both occasions.

Sherwood’s stable star underwent a breathing operation before the new season and appeared arguably better than ever in winning on his reappearance at Aintree in December, before his epic victory over King George winner Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase.

However, Dene Stansall of Animal Aid said he wrote to the BHA some 10 months ago to warn them of his concerns and that the horse should be withdrawn from last year’s National, in which he finished last of the 16 finishers.

He said: “There was an underlying problem with the horse. There were many reports that he had wobbles after races and needed oxygen. If a horse is needing oxygen at the end of a race it is very worrying.”

In response, BHA media manager Robin Mounsey said: “It is too early to say with any certainty what happened to Many Clouds.

“The BHA will help co-ordinate a postmortem to ascertain the cause of the incident. The horse was cared for by Cheltenham’s team of vets within seconds of displaying distress.”