Postmortems into the three horses that died at Cheltenham last Sunday have confirmed that none of the tragic incidents had one common link.
Abuffalosoldier and Bangers and Cash collapsed after and during the running of Holland Coooper Handicap Chase while Napper Tandy suffered a fatal injury after falling in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.
The high-profile nature of the incidents propelled racing into the spotlight.
The British Horseracing Authority, who have spent £56million advancing equine health care, immediately launched a review and their findings showed that heart issues – none of which could have been prevented – led to Abuffalosolider and Bangers And Cash perishing.
In a report, the BHA said: ‘In this instance, all three horses were sent for post-mortem examination and the results have confirmed that both Bangers And Cash and Abuffalosoldier suffered from separate varieties of cardiovascular collapse, which is a form of Exercise Associated Sudden Death (EASD).
Napper Tandy fractured a vertebra in his neck following a fall, with no other abnormalities identified.
Abuffalosoldier collapsed and died after winning the Holland Cooper Handicap Chase
No causal link could be identified and as it stands, none of the fatalities could have been predicted or prevented prior to the race.’
Meanwhile, Sam Twiston-Davies has been called up by his old boss Paul Nicholls to ride Bravemansgame in the 20th running of the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The gelding is 14/1 for the Grade One event and Nicholls believes those odds are generous.
