Many Clouds died of a severe pulmonary haemorrhage, or acute bleeding from the lung, a postmortem has revealed. In light of the finding, a senior racing vet has insisted there was no connection between the horse’s sudden death and incidents earlier in his career when he had appeared unsteady on his feet in the moments after some races.
In the immediate aftermath of his collapse at Cheltenham on Saturday, some questioned whether Many Clouds should have been allowed to continue racing, having staggered after his 2015 Grand National win and again last year after a Kelso success. But Tony Welsh, who is acting senior veterinary officer to the British Horseracing Authority, could hardly have been more emphatic in saying that Many Clouds’s fate could not have been predicted.
“Post-race ataxia and similar symptoms are linked to an increase in body temperature after exercise and can be treated by providing the horse with water,” Welsh said. “It is not uncommon in racehorses or other sport horses.
“Despite some reports following the incident, there is no existing veterinary evidence which links these symptoms with racehorse fatalities and the postmortem results have categorically proved that the symptoms exhibited by Many Clouds in the past were in no way present or associated with his sad death at Cheltenham.”
A BHA press release on Monday said that the postmortem uncovered no significant underlying health issues. It recorded also that Many Clouds had worn a heart monitor as recently as 17 November, when he was one of several horses used to demonstrate the equipment. “The data collected from Many Clouds on that occasion was within normal parameters in relation to both his heart rate during exercise and his recovery rate after exercise,” the BHA said.
Welsh said: “Episodes such as this are rare and can occur in horses which have no underlying health issues and amongst all disciplines of sport horses. In spite of the rarity of these incidents, as a sport we are determined to do more to understand what causes these symptoms and whether more can be done to prevent them.”
He said the overall equine fatality rate in British racing had fallen by a third in the past 20 years and pointed to £32m invested in veterinary science and research during that period by racing’s levy board as a sign that the sport was making the appropriate contribution to equine welfare.
While Animal Aid, an animal rights organisation, was immediately critical of the BHA after Many Clouds died, animal welfare groups indicated on Monday that they did not share the concerns expressed.
David Muir, the RSPCA’s equine consultant said: “This is purely a veterinary issue and has to be looked at in that light. I want to look at the race, look at the postmortem, look at the horse’s history with a vet, talk it over with the BHA and see if there’s anything we can learn from this.”
Muir expressed bafflement at Animal Aid’s suggestion that the BHA could be prosecuted over the incident. “I’m struggling to imagine who would start such a prosecution,” Muir said. “I certainly don’t think it would be us.”
A similar tone was struck by Roly Owers of World Horse Welfare, who said: “Every horse deserves proper veterinary care and Many Clouds will certainly have been receiving this, so if there were any concerns about his health and fitness, we are confident that he would not have been allowed to run in Saturday’s race.
“Whilst the results of the postmortem have been published this afternoon, what underpins the responsible use of horses in any sport in these sad situations is for the full spectrum of the facts to be reviewed to ascertain whether there are any lessons for the future.”
Tuesday tips by Chris Cook
Lingfield
1.50 Tangley 2.25 Sea Wall 3.00 Cheat The Cheater 3.30 Queen Odessa 4.00 Mr Muddle 4.30 Denny Kerrell
Southwell
1.00 Pearl Swan 1.30 Un Prophete 2.00 Second Time Around 2.35 Champ 3.10 Somewhere To Be 3.40 Lady Buttons (nap) 4.10 Gale Force Oscar
Wolverhampton
2.10 Pillar 2.45 Oor Jock 3.20 Dandy Flame 3.50 High On Light (nb) 4.20 Poetic Force 4.50 Absolute Blast 5.20 Fast Landing 5.50 Dark Confidant
