CHELTENHAM, England, March 13 (Reuters) - Four horses have died at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, including two on the final day of racing on Friday, among them Envoi Allen, who competed in the Gold Cup won by Gaelic Warrior.
Envoi Allen finished ninth in the main race but collapsed on the course. Cheltenham Racecourse said the horse was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts but passed away.
"Such an episode is known as Exercise Associated Sudden Death and can occur in horses of all breeds when under exercise," Director of Equine Regulation Safety and Welfare James Given said in a statement.
"In racing it is rare, occurring in only nine in every 10,000 runs in jump races."
Saint Le Fort was put down after a fall at the last fence during the final race of the festival. HMS Seahorse died after a fall on Wednesday and Hansard was put down after an injury on Tuesday.
"We are all devastated about the fatal injuries this week and our thoughts are with everyone connected with the horses," Given said.
"All runners at the festival are provided with an extensive and thorough check by vets at the racecourse before competing.
"As a result of British racing's commitment to reducing avoidable risk, the fatal injury rate has reduced to fewer than five in every 1,000 runners. The fatality rate at Cheltenham Racecourse in the past five years is exactly in line with this.
"However, we never just accept these injury rates. As with any fatal injury, these incidents will now be looked at in detail through our fatality review process, which is part of the sport's commitment to ongoing improvements in racehorse safety."
A total of 82 horses have died at Cheltenham Festival since 2000.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
