Cheltenham Racecourse’s Closing Day Overshadowed by Tragic Death of Three Horses

Mike Davey

On Sunday, November 17th, the closing day at Cheltenham Racecourse was marred by the tragic deaths of three horses. 

Two of the fatalities came from race four. Abuffalosoldier, the eventual winner, collapsed after the finish line, and Bangers And Cash collapsed earlier in the race. 

Liam Kearns, lead veterinary surgeon for Jockey Club Racecourses, told Racing TV: "Both cases we call them cardio-vascular collapse, as you can't say at this stage whether it is a true heart attack or whether it is a major blood vessel that has ruptured. But it is of that nature and therefore it is a sudden death situation.” Kearns added, "It's a huge coincidence that it happened twice in the same race.”

Cheltenham Racecourse released a statement on X (formerly twitter):

The next race Napper Tandy sustained a fatal injury on the second last jump from the finish line. 

In a statement on X the British Racing Authority said “The losses of Abuffalosoldier, Bangers And Cash and Napper Tandy at Cheltenham today are a tragedy for all connections and the thoughts of all of us at the BHA are with them. All three were provided with outstanding care and attention throughout their lives by those who cared for them and nobody will be more heartbroken tonight than those individuals. As with all fatalities, we will seek to understand the circumstances behind each incident as we strive to continue to reduce avoidable risk in our sport.”