The Willie Mullns-trained Dark Raven has died after taking a heavy fall at Aintree on Grand National day.
The winning novice hurdler was contesting the third race on the card, the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, when he came down at the seventh flight, sending jockey Paul Townend tumbling to the ground, in the race won by Irish Point.
The six-year-old became the second horse to lose his life during the three day fixture, chaser Envoye Special having suffered a fatal injury in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase on Thursday on the Grand National course.
The Rachael Blackmore-ridden Cool Survivor was another faller in the 2m4f hurdle.
Dark Raven, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, had won three of his five races under rules and finished sixth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival before his latest start for which he was sent off a 100-30 chance.
Munir said on Twitter: "Thank you for all your kind messages on the sad loss of our dear Dark Raven RIP."
A spokesperson for Aintree Racecourse said: “Dark Raven was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary professionals during the third race of the day. After assessment, sadly they concluded the necessary course of action for the horse's welfare was to put him to sleep. Our sincere sympathies are with his connections.”
On the opening day of the fixture Envoye Special was racing over Grand National fences, in a race confined to amateur riders, when he lost his partner at the ninth fence, the one before Becher’s Brook.
The Kieran Burke-trained nine-year-old continued riderless but fell at one of the subsequent fences.
He was assessed by Aintree’s on-course veterinary team but the track subsequently confirmed he had unfortunately sustained a fatal injury.
The Grand National is taking place against the backdrop of a small protest by animal rights activists.
Two people were arrested outside the track on suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance. Another woman, aged 33, from the London area, was arrested in the Greater Manchester earlier on Saturday in connection with potential co-ordinated disruption activities at Aintree racecourse.
