Commenters on social media were outraged after ITV News took the decision to re-air moments before the deaths of three horses at Cheltenham racecourse on Sunday – including that of one race-winner who collapsed while the broadcaster was conducting a live interview with his jockey.
Abuffalosoldier – who was ridden by Sean Bowen, trained in Lambourn by Warren Greatrex and owned by the Mahler and The Wailers group – had produced an incredible display of jumping and galloping in the Holland Cooper Handicap Chase and crossed the line to a hero’s ovation.
Bowen was greeted by ITV Racing’s on-course reporter Alice Plunkett at the top of the straight and gave her his thoughts about how things had unfolded but, just after the pair had finished speaking, Abuffalosoldier lost his balance and slithered to the ground. Cameras immediately cut away.
The seven-year-old gelding was attended by racecourse vets but he could not be saved, and on a dark afternoon at the West Country, the horse became the second of three fatalities after Ben Pauling-trained Bangers And Cash had collapsed on the course after suffering a heart attack.
Napper Tandy, trained by Matthew J Smith, later suffered a fatal fall in the following race, the Greatwood Hurdle.
But viewers of ITV News’ Teatime show at 7.15pm were shocked to learn that all three fatal incidents were shown a second time, taking to social media site X (formerly Twitter) to share their disappointment with the broadcaster.
Abuffalosoldier (right) collapsed after winning the Holland Cooper Handicap Chase on Sunday
ITV Racing’s commentary team were shocked by the on-air incident as the camera cut away
‘What on earth is @ITVnews doing showing a replay of a horse having a heart attack mid race,’ one user wrote. ‘What purpose does that serve? Shocking editorial decision.’
‘This should never be shown on any news channel,’ another added. ‘There is no purpose in this.’
A third posted: ‘How does an @ITVnews producer opt to air replays of fatal falls for Bangers And Cash and Napper Tandy. Consultation with colleagues from @ITVracing? Discuss issue by all means but a poor editorial decision. Totally out of touch with decency protocool (sic) elsewhere.’
The segment on the news was introduced by anchor Shehab Khan with a warning that the viewer was set to experience ‘sombre scenes’ at the racecourse.
‘Among (the horses who died), one of the winners of this afternoon’s races, Abuffalosoldier,’ Khan said. ‘His collapse was seen live on TV and we are about to see again the moments leading up to it.
‘A warning, you may find some of the images in Chris Scudder’s report upsetting.’
Footage of Abuffalosoldier’s collapse was re-aired, as were clips of Bangers And Cash and Napper Tandy, with the horses ringed and magnified to identify the fatal moments.
On ITV Racing – which is produced by a different editorial team from the broadcaster’s News programme – earlier that day, the shocking nature of the incident left the ITV presenting crew, headed by Ed Chamberlin, visibly upset and connections of the horses were inconsolable. Viewers described the scene as ‘unwatchable’ and ‘devastating’.
But a different decision was made on ITV News when the footage was re-aired in a segment
The horse had passed the post the deserving winner of the 2.55 contest at Cheltenham
Further footage of the three fatalities was aired much to the disgust of pre-watershed viewers
Jockey Club veterinary surgeon Liam Kearns stressed that the rare and shocking day was a sad possibility in any ‘high risk’ athletic competition.
‘In elite athletes, whether they’re horses, whether they’re humans, every time there is an exertional event, there is a risk in the welfare situation,’ he said.
‘All these horses are thoroughly checked out at home, they won’t come to the races if connections aren’t happy that they aren’t in good shape.’
In the wake of the fatalities, the British Horseracing Authority issued a statement saying: ‘The losses of Abuffalosoldier, Bangers And Cash and Napper Tandy at Cheltenham 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.
‘We strive to continue to reduce avoidable risk in our sport. All factual data relating to fatal injury rates in British racing can be found at www.horsepwr.co.uk and the overall fatal injury rate in Jump Racing is 0.42% of runners.’
