Consul De Thaix killed at Cheltenham

After disturbing scenes of horse suffering on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, day two claimed a victim in the first race of the afternoon when 5-year-old gelding Consul De Thaix broke his neck in an horrific fall. In his dying throes, other horses repeatedly kicked him as they tried to avoid his stricken body.

As the race continued, commentators gave short shrift to his fate stating: ‘a horrible fall… but Willoughby Court meanwhile taking them along at a nice pace… the one that was really badly inconvenienced was Bacardys.’ Later they announced his death. This overriding attitude suggests that the race is considered more important than the horse and that racing must go on at all costs.

Cheltenham is the most deadly of Britain’s 60 racecourses. The Festival alone has now claimed 54 horse deaths alone since the year 2000.

Says Animal Aid’s Horse Racing Consultant, Dene Stansall:

‘Consul De Thaix’s death was a harrowing sight. There is clearly a loophole in the law and regulatory system that allows this suffering to go unpenalised. The British Horseracing Authority and Cheltenham Racecourse should be held responsible for this poor horse’s horrific death. They should be subject to an independent inquiry and made accountable under the law for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.’

Notes to Editors:

For more information, contact Dene Stansall or Isobel Hutchinson on 01732 364546.