Racing fans were left shocked as the winning horse died at Cheltenham – while two others were also pronounced dead

Viewers in Cheltenham were shocked when two horses died after competing in the same race in the Holland Cooper Handicap Chase on Sunday afternoon.

Abuffalo Soldier, a seven-year-old ridden by Sean Bowen, had produced an impressive run to win the race, although the horse later collapsed just after crossing the line while Bowen was giving another interview.

Another horse, Bangers And Cash, unfortunately also died after sustaining an injury during the race. Although the exact details of the incident are unclear, Cheltenham Racecourse authorities confirmed that both deaths were due to “heart failure”, reports Subway.

“The winner of our fourth race, Abuffalosoldier, collapsed after the finish and was immediately attended by expert veterinary professionals, but unfortunately could not be saved,” a statement from the racecourse said. “Our sincere condolences go out to his connections.

“Bangers And Cash was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary team, but unfortunately suffered a fatal injury.”

A third horse, Napper Tandy, died in the next race of the day, in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle.

The British Horseracing Authority has issued a statement on the deaths, saying the losses are “a tragedy for all connections”.

“All three received excellent care and attention throughout their lives by those who cared for them and no one will be more heartbroken tonight than these individuals.

“As with all fatal accidents, we will seek to understand the circumstances behind each incident as we strive to continue to reduce avoidable risks in our sport.

The statement added that “the overall fatal injury rate in jump racing is 0.42% of runners.”

The racecourse’s chief vet, Liam Kearns, said Abuffalo soldier “jumped everything fantastically well, he was full of running to the finish but he collapsed shortly after the last and unfortunately died very quickly.

“This was a cardiovascular collapse, it could be a heart attack, it could be a major artery, we won’t know until the post-mortem is done,” he added.

“On the welfare side, all these horses are thoroughly checked at home, they don’t come to the races if their connections aren’t happy with them.

“They are checked on arrival at the races, the vet team checks them when they get here. There are veterinarians spread across the course who keep an eye on them.

“But in a highly athletic activity like this there is an unfortunate risk of this happening and we will try to limit it, but we cannot eliminate all risk.”