Fury as jockey who rode horse to £67,000 victory before it was put down after breaking back following a fall at Grand National Festival AVOIDS punishment

Paul Townend has been cleared of any wrongdoing following the sickening incident on the second day of the Randox Grand National meeting.

In the William Hill Mildmay Novices Chase, Townend’s mount Golden Dancer produced a superb round of jumps in the Grade One competition, save for the final fence. The horse, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, was knocked down after hitting this obstacle.

For a moment it looked as if Townend – a seven-time Irish champion and widely regarded as the best National Hunt rider of his generation – was about to fall out of the saddle, but he regained his balance and managed to persuade the Golden Dancer one last time to win the race and claim the £67,524 first prize.

But there was a hopeless outcome; 50 meters after crossing the line Townend looked back and immediately dismounted the seven-year-old. Racetrack veterinarians quickly tended to him, but upon examination they discovered Gold Dancer had broken his back and the gelding was euthanized.

Inevitably, anger and contempt rained down on Townend. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said the meeting should be called ‘The Great Massacre’, noting that 68 horses have been fatally injured at Aintree since 2000.

Figures released by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in January showed the rate of fatal horse injuries fell from 0.25% in 2024 to 0.22% in 2025 (193 out of 86,281 runners across all tracks).

The horse had a significant lead in the race as he was whipped by jockey Paul Townend following a fall.

Townend was approached for comment but did not want to speak after the race. BHA officers held an investigation when he returned to the weighing room, as is standard, and after hearing all the evidence they said no blame could be laid.

The BHA released a statement saying: ‘We are all sorry for the fatal injury to Golden Dancer and our thoughts are with everyone associated with the horse. After the race stewards held an investigation to assess the circumstances of this incident and took evidence from vets and the horse’s jockey.

‘Paul Townend told the judges that after a bad mistake at the final fence Gold Dancer took a step or two to collect himself but felt solid and continued to run in a straight line to the finish.

‘He then reported that Golden Dancer’s movement changed after the line, turning around the bend and changing 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 euthanize the horse.’

They added: ‘Having reviewed footage of the incident, BHA’s Director of Horse Regulation, Safety and Welfare, James Given, agreed that Golden Dancer’s movement appeared solid until he rounded the bend, typical of a horse in the closing stages of such a race.

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

Given, a respected name in the industry and a former coach, said in an interview with ITV Racing: ‘I attended the investigation and gave evidence. I was able to watch the event from the front and back and the horse continued to trot (run) towards the line.

‘It showed no signs of deviating from a straight line or being asymmetrical. The hind legs were following the front legs and only when they crossed the winning line and turned left did the action change.

‘That was the only point Paul realized. I don’t believe he ever realized this (the horse was injured). In the way I described, I tried to show that I could see that the horse was asymmetrical and did not deviate from a straight line.

Townend continued to whip the clearly struggling horse until it crossed the line before dismounting.

‘The horse seemed normal to him. But after the horse had turned from a canter to a trot he sensed something was wrong and did exactly as he should have done, pulling the horse up and jumping right over him.’

Eddie O’Leary, brother of Ryanair boss Michael, owner of Gigginstown House Stud, said: ‘It’s so sad for the horse. What could Paul Townend do? He felt fine, but when he stood up he realized something was wrong.’

The Aintree Racecourse statement read: ‘Gold Dancer, winner of the second race of the day, retreated behind the line and dismounted.

‘Our expert veterinary team intervened immediately, but unfortunately he could not be saved. We extend our sincere condolences to his contacts.’

Meanwhile, animal rights group Animal Aid released a statement minutes after the events took place.

They said: ‘The fact that the ‘winner’ of this race died minutes later is proof that there are no winners in this so-called ‘sport’. Such injuries and deaths are common in racing and occur on average every other day across the country.

‘This is not a coincidence; is a predictable consequence of pushing horses beyond their physical limits. Injury and death go hand in hand with racing and that’s why Animal Aid is calling on the public to turn their backs on this ‘sport’ and boycott horse racing.’

Isobel McNally, Animal Aid’s Horse Racing Campaign Manager, added: ‘This is a terrible thing to happen to an animal; all in service of an event that, judging by ITV news, appears to be more of a social event for attendees.

‘Everyone who bought a ticket or placed a bet paid the price for the death of this horse. We all have the opportunity to solve this problem very easily. We can go drink somewhere else. We can bet on something else. Animal lives should never be collateral damage during anyone’s good time.’

The RSPCA said: ‘We are devastated by the death of Golden Dancer. ‘This is the 42nd death linked to competitive horse racing in the UK this year alone and we are only in April.

‘From any tragedy such as this, lessons must be learned about contributing factors, pre-race and mid-race decision-making, and prevention tools.

‘We will be speaking to the British Horseracing Authority today (April 10) to discuss the incident, their assessment of what happened and how this could have been prevented, including an update on the welfare of other horses reported to have fallen today.

‘The RSPCA continues to engage with the industry in the hope of seeing greater safety measures introduced into the sport and improvements to the welfare of horses both on and off the track.’