A POST-MORTEM HAS found that 2015 Aintree Grand National winner Many Clouds died from a huge internal haemorrhage on Saturday, not from a pre-existing condition.
The 10-year-old gelding was a surprise winner of the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham when seeing off the challenge of Thistlecrack, the favourite for this year’s Gold Cup at the same track.
The post-mortem also confirmed that there was no link between the haemorrhage and the post-race attaxia — an overheating issue that had previously caused the horse to be unsteady on its feet — in the past.
“Episodes such as this are rare, and can occur in horses which have no underlying health issues and amongst all disciplines of sport horses,” said Tony Welsh, the British Horseracing Authority’s acting chief veterinary officer.
“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 it.”
Many Clouds’s trainer Oliver Sherwood was also keen to point out that the result of the post-mortem proved it was an unfortunate tragedy that couldn’t have been prevented.
“It just shows how healthy he was and that it was nothing to do with his heart. It’s black and white and it could have happened to any horse.
“If it had been a heart issue we would have worried that it was something we might have spotted. It’s the close of that chapter; we move on but never forget.”
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