Charity calls for festival 'boycott' as horse dies

An animal rights organisation is calling for the "boycott" of Cheltenham Festival after another racehorse died after sustaining a fatal injury.

Eight-year-old gelding Hansard suffered a fall while running on the flat in the Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase - the second race of the day.

The Jockey Club, which owns and operates Cheltenham Racecourse, said it was deemed the best course of action for him was to be "humanely euthanised".

The League Against Cruel Sports say this brings the festival's death toll to 79 horses, with a horse dying at every single festival since the year 2000.

Emma Slawinski, chief executive of the charity, described the figures as "staggering".

"The death of Hansard will sadden all animal lovers but tragically it's not a surprise, as every year horses are raced to their deaths at the Cheltenham Festival," she said.

At last year's festival, Springwell Bay was the first casualty before Corbetts Cross died in the festival's flagship Gold Cup event.

"We are calling on the public to boycott the Cheltenham Festival by staying away, not betting on the races or watching the ITV coverage and advertising which accompanies it," Slawinski continued.

"The government promised the biggest boost for animal welfare in a generation and now it needs to deliver by tackling the terrible death toll at Cheltenham and introducing tighter safety measures in horse racing and banning the use of the whip."

A spokesperson for Cheltenham Racecourse said: "While running on the flat during the second race of the day, Hansard sustained a fatal injury.

"He was quickly dismounted and immediately attended to by a team of expert veterinary professionals.

"In their assessment, it was concluded that the best course of action for the horse's welfare was for him to be humanely euthanised.

"Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections."

According to the Jockey Club, more than £2.6m has been invested over the last decade in welfare and safety improvements at Cheltenham and Aintree racecourses.

These include the switch to padded-style hurdles, changing all markers on fences and hurdles from orange to white, changing the course layout and re-siting obstacles, plus continuous investment in first-class veterinary and medical support.

Strict new whip rules were also introduced in 2023 which limit jockeys' use to a maximum of six times in a flat race or seven times in a jump race.

"Through continuous investment in safety, the fatal injury rate has been reduced to 0.22% of 86,262 runners in 2025, and we are working hard to bring this down further," they said.

The club added the five-year fatal injury rate for the festival is 0.48%, which is in line with the national average of 0.46% for jump racing.

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