Celebre d'Allen: Grand National horse dies after collapse at final fence, post-mortem to be carried out

Trainers Philip Hobbs and Johnson White confirmed the horse's death in a statement on Tuesday, saying: "We're heartbroken to share that Celebre d'Allen has passed away. 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."

Celebre d'Allen had been treated on the course before being moved to stables for further assessment. While he initially showed signs of recovery, his condition later worsened.

His rider, Micheal Nolan, received a 10-day suspension from Aintree stewards on the day of the race after they ruled he had continued to race when the horse “had no more to give and was losing ground.”

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed the horse had passed all pre-race checks. It said: "As with all runners in the Grand National, Celebre d'Allen was provided with a thorough check by vets at the racecourse.

"This health check includes a trot up, physical examination of limbs to check for any heat, pain or swelling, and listening to the heart to check for any murmur or rhythm disturbance."

Celebre d'Allen’s death has sparked fresh criticism from animal welfare groups.

Animal Rising spokesperson Ben Newman said: "The blame for his death lies not with any individual, but with the 'sport' of horse racing itself. Again and again, we see horses pushed far beyond their limits, to the point of injury, collapse, and death."

Nina Copleston-Hawkens from Animal Aid added: "To allow a horse of this age to be ridden to death in the most gruelling race in the country is disgraceful – and the blame for his end lies fairly and squarely with the British Horseracing Authority."

The BHA said it will review the race and conduct a full post-mortem on the horse. Celebre d'Allen was a 125/1 outsider in the Grand National, which was won by Patrick Mullins on Nick Rockett.

National Grand’s second death

Celebre d'Allen was not the first to die at this year’s festival. On the opening day, Willy De Houelle died following a fall at Aintree, with its jockey Rachael Blackmore taken into an ambulance.

RSPCA said “any loss of any race horse is a tragedy.” In a statement, Mark Kennedy, equine welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: "We share in the sadness at the death of Celebre D’Allen.

The loss of any race horse is a tragedy - and following the death of Willy De Houelle on the opening day, we have now seen two fatalities at this year's Grand National Festival."Racehorses deserve a good life, on and off the track. We await the British Horseracing Authority's investigation into these fatalities."