A post-mortem examination has revealed Celebre D'Allen's cause of death after the horse passed away following the Grand National. That's after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) published the findings from the post-mortem carried out by Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons in Newmarket.
The 13-year-old horse, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, received veterinary attention after the race, with hopes of a full recovery. However, his condition then took a turn for the worse.
Having led the pack with three fences to go, Celebre D'Allen began to tire and was eventually pulled up on the run-in. The Mirror reported it was during the veterinary team's walk-in on the home straight that he collapsed.
An inquiry was conducted, and jockey Micheal Nolan was called before the stewards to address concerns that he may have pushed the horse too far despite clear signs of exhaustion after the second-last fence. The outcome was a 10-day suspension for Nolan.
Initially, there were high hopes for Celebre D'Allen's recovery after a night of observation. However, the stable shared the devastating news of his passing on Tuesday.
"We're heartbroken to share that Celebre D'Allen has passed away," announced the team on X. "He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving. However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved. He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly."
The BHA mandated an autopsy on the horse to be performed by Rossdales. After it was conducted, consent was provided by Celebre D'Allen's owners and trainers for the crucial findings to be released.
"The post-mortem was carried out by Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons of Newmarket," read the statement. "The findings of the post-mortem state that the exercise-associated episode experienced by the horse after the race had concluded by the time of death.
"However, a severe bacterial respiratory infection (pleuropneumonia) had occurred post-race which led to the horse's deterioration on Monday evening, with the subsequent onset of sepsis or endotoxaemia (the release of harmful substances into the bloodstream from bacteria) likely to have been a key factor in the cause of death.
"Blood tests taken from the day of the race indicate that the infection had not been present in the horse on raceday, and was therefore developed after the race.
"Further bloods taken on the Monday indicated a severely compromised immune system. These indications had not been present in the bloods taken on the day of the race. This indicates that this issue emerged subsequent to the race and the exercise-associated episode.
"The heart pathology found no issues which are likely to be significant in the death of the horse. As stated previously, the circumstances around the fatality – as is the case with any fatal injury – are being reviewed in detail. The post-mortem forms one part of this process. In addition, the Grand National is always reviewed in detail after every running of the race by the BHA and the Jockey Club."
Celebre d'Allen won the Portek Limited Handicap Chase at Bangor in November 2024, which would end up being the final win of his career. He earned his owners close to £250,000 over the course of his racing career and won nine times overall.
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