| Sychronised death has left us devastated - JP McManus | |
| Owner JP McManus says the Grand National "should not be devalued" in future after the deaths of two horses, including his Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised. | |
| Image from Google.co.uk | |
|
The nine-year-old, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, was one of two horses put down after suffering injuries at Aintree.
The deaths in Saturday's race have raised criticisms about the safety of horses from opponents.
But McManus said: "We all remain huge supporters of the Grand National."
His statement added: "Despite all the sadness, as it is a truly fantastic spectacle.
"It should not be devalued in any way."
The Irish billionaire has spoken for the first time after Synchronised's death of his "sadness" and "devastation", in a joint statement with O'Neill, jockey AP McCoy and the owner's racing manager Frank Berry.
Synchronised, who was bidding to become the first horse for 78 years to seal a Gold Cup and Grand National double in the same season, fell at the notorious Becher's Brook fence, unseating McCoy in the process.
The gelding continued until the 11th fence where he suffered a leg fracture and later had to be put down.
"Jonjo, AP, Frank and I, and all our families, feel a deep sadness and sense of devastation about the loss of the horse," said McManus.
"We will always cherish the memory of how great he was in winning the Gold Cup at the festival the previous month.
"What happened to him appears to be nothing more than a freak accident as his fall did not cause him to lose his life - it was running around loose afterwards.
"It remains difficult to understand how it happened but regrettably it did."
Synchronised's connections have moved to deflect the criticism levelled at Aintree by thanking course bosses for their "helpfulness, kindness and consideration" following the race, which was won by Neptune Collonges.
Synchronised has been laid to rest at his Jackdaws Castle training base and McManus added: "He has left us all with a memory of what a superb equine athlete he was and his name is etched deep in the annals of jumping history as the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"We are all very proud of what he achieved for us and the sport as a whole."
According to Pete also died after suffering a fractured leg when he was brought down after jumping the 22nd fence [Becher's Brook second time round].
His trainer Peter Nelson has already indicated he will not enter horses into the race again.
>bbc.co.uk |
|
| Tweet | |
| NLC is not responsible for any external content or links uploaded by users of the site. Nor does the presence of information or links about other parties' products or services confer any form of endorsement of another party's products or services by NLC. Please show respect to other users and avoid bad language when posting |
Advertise
Want to reach your audience with an eye-catching advert on the NLC website? Click here.
| Koscielny: We know what win meant |
| Laurent Koscielny maintains the Arsenal players knew exactly what was at stake if they had failed to beat Newcastle and missed out on another shot at the Champions League. |
| Paolo Di Canio says misbehaving Sunderland players will leave |
| Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has threatened to get rid of players who have stepped out of line at the club. |
| Gareth Bale: Tottenham must keep Welshman, says Andre Villas-Boas |
| Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas says it is vital the club keep Gareth Bale if they are to improve next season. |
| Wiggins withdraws from Giro |
| Sir Bradley Wiggins has pulled out of the Giro d'Italia because of a chest infection. |
| Trip can trump Cup rivals |
| Simon Holt previews Friday's QIPCO Yorkshire Cup card at York and is backing Top Trip to win the feature. |
| Odemwingie won't go cheap |
| West Brom head coach Steve Clarke insists troublesome wantaway striker Peter Odemwingie will not be sold on the cheap this summer, warning any potential suitors: "We are not a charity". |
 |