Celebre d'Allen: Grand National horse dies days after race
The horse initially appeared to recover after being assessed by vets and was held overnight, but his condition worsened, and he could not be saved.
Following the Race, jockey Micheal Nolan received a 10-day suspension after an enquiry found he continued riding Celebre d'Allen when the horse appeared to be losing ground.
Aintree Racecourse and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) expressed sadness and stated they would analyse the Race and incident, including a post-mortem examination of the horse.
Animal Aid criticised the Grand National Festival as "barbaric" following Celebre d'Allen's death, while the BHA highlighted safety improvements made to the Grand National in 2024, including reducing the number of runners.
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Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
York tips: Newsboy's picks and 1-2-3 for every race on Friday on ITV
Our ace tipster takes you through the card for day three of the prestigious Ebor Festival, one of the racing highlights of the summer schedule There is no better way to be prepared for the historic York Ebor Festival than by following ace tipster Newsboy. Over the four days of the prestigious fixture he will be providing in-depth analysis of every race in his not-to-be-missed column. Day three on Friday features the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes, the five furlong sprint which features the Australian Royal Ascot winner Asfoora, with the Group 2 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup and Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack Stakes, among the support races. 1.50 Sky Bet Handicap THIS SONGISFORYOU is the choice to prove music to punters' ears. The seven-year-old hasn't been an easy horse to get to the races, even for the razor-sharp Emmet Mullins - he's had 15 starts under Rules, including 10 on the Flat. But it's beyond doubt that he has his fair share of ability, as evidenced by a big-money handicap score over 10 furlongs on Irish Champions Weekend at the Curragh in September. A 9-1 shot in a field of 14, my selection still hadn't been asked for maximum effort when hitting the front at the furlong pole and had a length and a half in hand of Indigo Five at the line. The grey son of Temple City began the current campaign over a mile and a half in Listed company at Roscommon at the start of July - This Songisforyou finished sixth of 11 behind Chally Chute - before stepping up to a mile and six furlongs for a conditions-race fifth at the Galway Festival. This Songisforyou didn't get involved in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes back over today's distance at Leopardstown 15 days ago - he came home in fifth behind Sons And Lovers - but Tom Marquand's mount expected to show what he can do back in the handicap sphere, with a British Horseracing Authority mark of 99 appearing within range. In a tricky start to proceedings, Chillingham, Mount Atlas and Naqeeb all deserve a closer look. 2.25 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup AL QAREEM is put up as the value play against hot favourite Trawlerman. Karl Burke's stable stalwart has 7lb to find with the market leader on official ratings - the deficit is reduced to 4lb by Trawlerman's penalty - but Al Qareem absolutely loves York with three wins, a second and a fourth from five visits to the Knavesmire. My selection is proven at Group 2 level - he captured the Prix Chaudenay over a mile and seven furlongs at Longchamp in October 2022 - but there's a good case to be made that he's better than ever at the age of six. Awtaad's son marked his first start of this season with a third at Saint-Cloud in March before gamely lifting the Listed Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham the following month. A second to Illinois in Chester's Group 3 Ormonde Stakes followed before Al Qareem and Clifford Lee were back in business at York, galloping to a four-and-a-half-length humbling of Absurde in the Listed Grand Cup Stakes over a mile and three-quarters. A two-and-a-half-length dismissal of Samui in the Silver Cup Stakes provided further evidence of his brilliance at 'the Ascot of the north' - and the extended two-mile trip shouldn't prove an issue for this most admirable performer. Even with the penalty for his Gold Cup triumph at Royal Ascot, Trawlerman isn't passed over lightly, with Sweet William preferred to Shackleton for the bronze. 3.00 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes EGOLI had a valid excuse for his Qatar Goodwood Festival disappointment and receives the vote for redemption. No Nay Never's son, whose moniker is the Zulu name for Johannesburg, didn't go unbacked for a six-furlong maiden at Leicester at the end of May and marked his debut with a promising fifth to Rock On Thunder. Ralph Beckett then sent his youngster to York for a similar event 18 days later and Egoli showed the benefit of his first start with a length-and-a-half defeat of Rikki Tiki Tavi. My pick carried a penalty to a follow-up score at Newbury last month, making all the running under Rossa Ryan and powering home to beat Song Of The Clyde by a couple of lengths. A rise in class looked the next logical step and Egoli duly took on eight opponents for the Group 2 Richmond Stakes last time. But the race proved a non-event for backers of the 13-2 chance as the nine-runner field split into two factions. Egoli won his four-runner race down the centre of the track but, with the action unfolding under the stands' rail, his effort was rewarded with sixth place overall behind Coppull. Forgive that run and you have a progressive, high-class two-year-old - and Egoli can prove the point. NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 EGOLI, 2 LIFEPLAN, 3 RECIPROCATED 3.35 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes SPICY MARG is fancied to become the first two-year-old filly to land the Nunthorpe Stakes since Lyric Fantasy in 1992. The Michael Bell-saddled juvenile was supplemented for the five-furlong Group 1 last Saturday and, in a year that lacks an outstanding sprinter, it's not hard to see why connections were keen to throw their hat into the ring. Spicy Marg, who carries the colours of music agent Emma Banks, started out in a five-furlong novice stakes for fillies on the 1,000 Guineas undercard at Newmarket in May and hit the ground running with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory. With her sights raised to Group 2 company for the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, my selection returned 10th of 23, beaten six lengths, behind True Love. And she stayed at the same level, but up to six furlongs, for the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket's July Festival, fading on the climb to the line to finish fifth of six to Venetian Sun. Spicy Marg then reverted to the minimum distance for the Alice Keppel Fillies' Conditions Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival last time out, and seared to a length-and-three-quarter supremacy from Revival Power in a time that had the clock anoraks squealing with delight. There's plenty more to come from a filly who receives up to 27lb in weight concessions and the booking of the excellent Harry Bentley, on a busman's holiday before his return to Hong Kong next month, is the icing on the cake. In a fascinating - and uncommonly open - Nunthorpe, Lady Iman, Asfoora, Washington Heights and Jm Jungle are just four names to throw into the melting pot. Free £2 Shop Bet with William Hill inside your Mirror every day of the York Ebor Festival THE big guns are being readied and loaded to fire at York's Ebor Festival which starts on Wednesday August 20, 2025- and your Mirror is bringing you everything you need to celebrate the final flourish of the racing season including FREE shop bets from William Hill. Don't miss your paper every day of the festival, from Wednesday August 20 until Saturday August 23, 2025, to get your hands on packed pullouts, free £2 shop bets, and insight from the racing team you trust. Find out more here. 4.10 Assured Data Protection EBF Fillies' Handicap AKECHETA did enough at Goodwood last time out to be of significant interest this afternoon. The 'down' side for backers of Kevin Coleman's mare is that a half-length win gained on her debut, at Tipperary in May 2024, remains the sole occasion she has got her head in front. But Akecheta has performed with credit in strong handicap company this season, in particular when fourth to Ashariba at the Qatar Goodwood Festival 23 days ago. A 12-1 chance for a fillies' handicap over this afternoon's 10-furlong trip, the five-year-old raced at the back of the 14-runner line-up during the early exchanges. Asked to make her ground at the two-furlong marker by Adam Farragher - Shane Gray is in the plate today - Akecheta ran on strongly down the outside of the field to be beaten a length and a quarter at the line. That effort needs marking up - the trio ahead of her, including runner-up Wonder Star, all held more prominent positions and, from the same British Horseracing Authority rating of 90, the grey can make her presence felt. Wonder Star is open to further progress and is feared most, ahead of Roarin' Success and Ciara Pearl. NEWSBOY'S 1-2-3: 1 AKECHETA, 2 WONDER STAR, 3 ROARIN' SUCCESS 4.45 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes NAVAL LIGHT has achieved a level of form that should make him hard to beat. Before he had seen a racecourse, the grey son of Havana Grey impressed those in attendance at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale in April - he went under the hammer for 360,000 guineas. Sent into training with Karl Burke by owners Wathnan Racing, my selection ran with plenty of promise for the future on debut the following month with a second to Old Is Gold at Beverley. Naval Light's sights were raised for the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and James Doyle's partner wasn't discredited with an eighth-of-15 finish behind Charles Darwin. Upped in distance but lowered in class for a six-furlong maiden at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Naval Light came off second best, a length and a quarter behind Stellar Sunrise. The winner is promising and, with fifth home Enricher having shed his maiden tag next time, Naval Light, for whom today's seventh furlong is a plus, is expected to do likewise. Frescobaldi just missed out at Fairyhouse second time out and enters calculations, along with Red Spells Danger and Inishbeg. 5.20 Sky Bet Mile Handicap FEARNOT continues to progress and is still a long way from the bottom of the barrel. We didn't see the Clive Cox-trained son of Invincible Spirit as a two-year-old in 2024 but he began to make up for lost time when scoring at Wolverhampton in March on his racecourse debut. Fearnot narrowly missed out under a penalty at Kempton Park 18 days later before marking his handicap debut with a third to King Casper at Newmarket's Craven meeting. A red-letter day arrived via a four-and-a-quarter-length margin over this one-mile trip at Ascot in May and Fearnot returned to Royal Berkshire for a third, a neck and a head behind winner Arabian Story, in the Britannia Handicap. Put up 5lb for that near-miss, Fearnot and David Probert were back in the winner's enclosure at the same track with a half-length defeat of Bullet Point on the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes undercard 27 days ago. There's another 5lb rise to deal with here, but Fearnot still has untapped potential to draw upon. Dangers lurk at every turn, with Big Leader, Sea Force, Sir Paul Ramsey and Point Of Contact all worthy of respect.
Spectator
a day ago
- Spectator
Rachel Reeves's self-defeating attack on British racing
Few British traditions can claim as long a history as racing. The first races thought to have taken place in these islands were organised by Roman soldiers encamped in Yorkshire, pitting English horses against Arabian. By the 900s, King Athelstan was placing an export ban on English horses due to their superiority over their continental equivalents. The first recorded race meeting took place under Henry II in Smithfield as part of the annual Bartholomew Fair. Nearly 1,000 years later, racing remains the nation's second most popular spectator sport. Five million people attend more than 1,400 meets throughout the year. The industry is estimated to be worth more than £4 billion, contributing around £300 million to the Exchequer, and supports some 80,000 jobs. No activity better unites Benjamin Disraeli's 'two nations'. Royal Ascot, the Derby and the Grand National are cornerstones of the sporting calendar. Britain still produces many of the world's finest horses, jockeys and races. More than 600 million people across 140 countries tune in to the National each year; in this country alone, around 13 million people, a quarter of adults, bet on it. Britain's racing success is something to be proud of, which naturally means that Rachel Reeves has decided to go after it. The Treasury is proposing to increase the 15 per cent tax on bookmaker profits to 21 per cent – the same levy faced by online slot games and casinos. The British Horseracing Authority predicts the rate hike would cause a £330 million loss of revenue in its first five years, and put more than 2,500 jobs at risk in the first year alone. In response to the proposal, the BHA has called a strike for 10 September – the first in the industry's history. Rather than racing, jockeys, owners and trainers will decamp to Westminster to lobby MPs. The industrial action is expected to cost around £700,000. Many senior figures in the world of racing fear that increased costs for operators would mean less money available for promoting the sport. Worse odds would be offered to customers, making bookmakers less competitive compared with black market sites, which are now more easily accessible than ever thanks to the large increase in Virtual Private Network downloads by people trying to circumvent the Online Safety Act. Reduced turnover means reduced profits for bookmakers, 10 per cent of which are paid to a levy designed to support the sport through prize money, veterinary research and equine welfare. Even before the Treasury's planned hike, the recent introduction of more stringent affordability checks on online gambling means that turnover is down and fewer thoroughbreds are being bred. British racing is falling behind as owners, riders and horses decamp abroad to wealthier competitions. This leaves the long-term sustainability of British racing under threat. The Chancellor's latest attempt to find a few pennies down the back of the Treasury sofa would repeat the error of last year's inheritance tax raid on farmers and the imposition of VAT on private schools. It is a mean-spirited and self-defeating assault on a part of the country's history and way of life that the Labour party does not seek to understand. If racing unites the upper and lower classes, it is uniquely vulnerable to stigmatisation by the middle-class prudes found so dis-proportionately among our governing lanyard class. Of course, many Labour MPs are enthusiastic supporters of racing – 23 represent racecourse constituencies. But any attempt to squeeze the industry until the pips squeak is representative of a Treasury mentality that knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Taxing bookmaking at the same rate as online gambling draws a false equivalence between the two that ignores their fundamental differences. A punter at a race might enjoy six or seven bets in a day at most; an enthusiastic online gambler could place that number in a minute. Betting on racing requires research and skill (incidentally, The Spectator's own racing tipster, Penworthy, has had an excellent year). In contrast, online casinos are the gambling equivalent of Pac-Man, colourful distractions designed to be played on a loop. That is why online gambling and gaming make up the overwhelming majority of gambling addiction cases. In its zeal for protecting the vulnerable, the Gambling Commission, supported by the Treasury, could strangle the life out of the industry it regulates. In her quest to make her sums add up, Reeves may embark on another experiment which costs more than it raises. Reeves and the Treasury should recognise that next month's strike is an extraordinary protest from an industry facing an existential threat. Rather than breaking with the tradition of treating bookmaking differently to online gambling, the government should extend the industry support, through direct grants or a reformed betting levy. Yet with each day bringing rumours of the Treasury eyeing potential targets, the odds of the Chancellor putting the turf's future before her spreadsheets seem slim. Who would be willing to bet on it?
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Increased betting tax would be a hurdle that horse racing may not overcome
The Treasury is currently consulting over plans to replace the existing structure of online gambling duties, which is comprised of three bands, to a catch-all Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. At present, there is a 15 per cent duty, but there are grave concerns that the government-induced changes could see it brought into line with the rate of tax on games of chance, such as online casino and slot machines, which is six per cent higher. Economic analysis commissioned by the British Horseracing Authority showed that the sport could lose £66m in income through the levy, media rights and sponsorship because bookmakers would be likely to respond by offering inferior-value prices and reduce budgets for such things as marketing and advertising. Horse racing is a sport that is part of the very fabric of British culture. Its two codes, Flat and National Hunt have been supported by monarchs and other royals for centuries. It also courted Sir Keir Starmer, who last September became the first serving Prime Minister since Sir Winston Churchill to attend the St Leger. Now, similar to one of the PM's current political allies, it has had a change of heart and is taking a more combative approach. Racing draws in more spectators annually than every other sport in the nation, except football. It provides jobs for more than 85,000 people. If betting tax levied on the sport is raised, it's been estimated that 2,752 of those jobs will be lost in the first year alone, and this could become an ever-decreasing cycle. As a show of strength and to underline the gravity of their concerns, the whole of the industry has committed to a one-day strike on 10 September, when racing is scheduled to take place at Carlisle, Kempton Park, Lingfield Park and Uttoxeter. For an industry that has so often taken a 'softly, softly' approach to such matters and wanted to keep respective governments onside, it's akin to throwing away the painstakingly prepared form book and, instead, tossing a coin. Will the 'heads' count in the sport be forced to reduce or will ministers turn 'tails' and elect to preserve the status quo? James Hutchinson, the managing director at Ripon racecourse, is clear on why the sport is right to take such action: 'It's important that we get across this message that the current proposals for this betting duty tax will have an enormous effect on British racing and the income into British racing and therefore the amount of money that it raises in terms of levy and the return therefore to racecourses and the return of prize money to owners and trainers. 'From our point of view as a small independent racecourse, we need to be seen to be a strong industry that can support all of its constituent parts and this potential change is going to put many of those at risk and that's not something we want to see. 'I'm in support of the action that's being taken because by doing so we will hopefully be getting across and extremely strong message to government that we feel very strongly about this and the industry is prepared to go to those sort of lengths to show what it means and the effect it could have if the changes take place.' 'I don't think there's any other sporting industry that could be as dramatically affected by the sort of change that the government is proposing.' James Hutchinson, managing director at Ripon racecourse Isn't this, however, racing people expecting the sport to be treated as a special case purely because of its history? Hutchinson disagrees. 'I don't think it's necessarily a special case other than the fact that it has huge heritage. It's been an important part of the culture and the colour of the nation. 'Over five million people go racing every year and to introduce this huge increase could have a major negative impact on the industry. It could effect the amount of racing, the amount of people going racing and it would be a huge loss to the country. 'I don't think there's any other sporting industry that could be as dramatically affected by the sort of change that the government is proposing.' Those involved in the sport are clear about the financial damage that could be inflicted and are similarly unified in their action, although all four tracks that miss out on racing on that date have been offered an alternative fixture on the calendar by the BHA, by way of compensation for those individual events. The government must act in the best interests of a sport that has given the nation great service since before there was a Prime Minister. It should get this enquiry overturned before the provisional result stands, scrap any plans to increase its tax burden and leave this piece of the fabric of our society unfrayed.
