Mullins: No blame attached to Townend in fatal injury to Gold Dancer

Willie Mullins defended jockey Paul Townend after Gold Dancer suffered a fatal injury in winning the William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Friday.

Following a lengthy duel with Regent’s Stroll, the 100-30 joint-favourite stamped his authority on the Grade One contest between the final two fences – and while he sprawled on landing after making a bad mistake at the last, he stayed on his feet and kept going to score by four and three-quarter lengths.

However, upon pulling up it was soon clear the winner had suffered a serious injury and while he was dismounted and the on-course veterinary team were quick to come to his aid, he could not be saved.

The stewards held an inquiry into the riding of the winner, but took no action, and Mullins explained his stable jockey did not feel there was any problem until after the race was over.

He said: “I haven’t spoken to Paul about the stewards’ inquiry. He just said to me the horse galloped through the line fine and went down to his slow pace of a canter and then just as he was turning he went into a trot and that was the first he felt anything.

“He felt the horse was fine going through the winning post, pulling up in a canter and then you have to turn the bend. He just took a pull on the rein to turn and the next thing the horse lost his action, so he’s assuming that whatever happened happened there.”

When asked what his response would be to anyone who suggested Townend should have pulled up Gold Dancer following his final-fence mistake, the champion trainer added: “I would say he didn’t feel the horse had any damage and he galloped the whole way to the line.

“That is what you do when you’re a rider. It’s like a forward going for goal – if something happens he’s going to keep going and kick the ball into the net if he can.

“It’s the same with a jockey – unless they feel the horse’s action is really wrong he’s not going to stop, because if he stops he’ll lose his licence and the other punters will drag him off the horse and say ‘what did you pull him up for?’.

“He didn’t feel anything was wrong until after the line and horses make mistakes. People out running trip and get up and go on and run another 10 miles and they only find out later on that night they’ve actually pulled a muscle in their back or somewhere else – it’s just life.

“We can’t legislate for everything. People go on with their daily lives and their daily sports and you do what you have to do, that’s the way I look at it anyhow.

“If Paul thought there was something wrong he’d be the first man to pull him up.”

Speaking immediately after the race, Eddie O’Leary of owners Gigginstown House Stud said: “Unfortunately he broke his back and they put him down.

“Paul said he made one mistake and he felt nothing and he kept going to the line no problem. It was just when he pulled up, unfortunately.

“It was an unbelievable performance, he jumped brilliantly bar one little mistake.

“It’s a hollow victory now, the poor horse didn’t deserve that.”

A statement from the British Horseracing Authority read: “We are all saddened by the fatal injury of Gold Dancer following today’s William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Chase and our thoughts are with everybody connected to the horse.

“After the race, the stewards held an inquiry to consider the circumstances of this incident and took evidence from vets and the horse’s jockey, Paul Townend.

“Paul Townend told the stewards that, following a bad mistake at the final fence, Gold Dancer took a stride or two to gather himself but felt sound and continued running in a straight line to the finish. He then reported that Gold Dancer’s action changed after the line, as he rounded the bend and changed from a canter to a trot, at which point he immediately dismounted to allow veterinary surgeons to quickly attend to the horse.

“The veterinary assessment was that the appropriate course of action was to humanely euthanise the horse.

“Having reviewed the footage of the incident, the BHA’s director of equine regulation, safety, and welfare James Given, agreed that Gold Dancer’s action was typical of a horse in the closing stages of such a race, that he appeared sound until rounding the bend, at which point he was immediately dismounted.

“As is the case with any fatal injury, the incident will now be looked at in detail through our fatality review process, which is part of the sport’s commitment to ongoing improvements in racehorse safety.”