The cause of death of Grand National horse Celebre D’Allen has been revealed following a post-mortem examination.
It was tragically announced on Tuesday that Celebre D’Allen had passed away on Monday night aged 13, just two days after collapsing at the Aintree showpiece event with ‘nothing left to give’.
The gelding, a 125/1 outsider trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, weakened in the late stages and collapsed after the last fence, requiring veterinary attention.
Jockey Nolan – who has since deleted his social media accounts – was handed a 10-day ban after the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed that he had breached riding rules by continuing on a horse that was clearly struggling.
And the findings of the post-mortem examination, which were shared in a BHA statement on Thursday, explained how a ‘severe respiratory infection’, which came before he picked up sepsis, played a major role in Celebre D’Allen’s passing.
It read: ‘The report of the post-mortem carried out on Celebre D’Allen have been shared with the trainer and owner, who have granted permission for the key findings to be published by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
The cause of death of Grand National horse Celebre D’Allen (second right) has been revealed
The 13-year-old gelding (pictured in 2023), who was the eldest horse in the field, started well at the Grand National but collapsed after the last fence and passed away on Monday evening
A ‘severe respiratory infection’ is likely to have contributed to the death, the post-mortem said
‘The post-mortem was carried out by Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons of Newmarket. The findings of the post-mortem state that the exercise-associated episode experienced by the horse after the race had concluded by the time of death.
‘However, a severe bacterial respiratory infection (pleuropneumonia) had occurred post-race which led to the horse’s deterioration on Monday evening, with the subsequent onset of sepsis or endotoxaemia (the release of harmful substances into the bloodstream from bacteria) likely to have been a key factor in the cause of death.
‘Blood tests taken from the day of the race indicate that the infection had not been present in the horse on raceday, and was therefore developed after the race. Further bloods taken on the Monday indicated a severely compromised immune system.’
The statement continued: ‘These indications had not been present in the bloods taken on the day of the race. This indicates that this issue emerged subsequent to the race and the exercise-associated episode.
‘The heart pathology found no issues which are likely to be significant in the death of the horse. As stated previously, the circumstances around the fatality – as is the case with any fatal injury – are being reviewed in detail. The post-mortem forms one part of this process.
‘In addition, the Grand National is always reviewed in detail after every running of the race by the BHA and the Jockey Club.’
Philip Hobbs and Johnson White Racing, the horse’s trainer, had expressed their sadness at the gelding’s passing on Tuesday.
‘We’re heartbroken to share that Celebre D’Allen has passed away,’ they said. ‘He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving.
Micheal Nolan, who rode the horse, was suspended for 10 days in the aftermath of the race
‘However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved. He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly.’
Celebre D’Allen – who was the eldest horse in the field at Aintree – had started well in the race but appeared to be in difficulty after the second-last fence. Nolan continued to ride before finally pulling up after jumping the last.
The gelding was later able to walk into a horse ambulance and was taken for further assessment.
The Sun and ITV’s Matt Chapman revealed on Saturday evening that Celebre D’Allen had suffered heatstroke and would remain at Aintree overnight for monitoring.
And on Sunday there was a brighter outlook on Celebre D’Allen’s condition with the gelding looking in fine fettle on social media.
Taking to X, Hobbs and White’s joint-account shared a video of the horse along with the caption: ‘Celebre D’Allen bright and breezy this morning @AintreeRaces after running so well in the Grand National.’
However, the tragic news of his passing then came on Monday evening with the BHA announcing the ‘saddening’ and ‘heartbreaking’ news.
Meanwhile, jockey Nolan suffered a torrent of abuse online in the aftermath of the horse’s death, as one said: ‘Absolutely disgusted by what you did to that poor horse.’
Celebre D’Allen had looked in a brighter mood on Sunday after receiving veterinary attention
Another furious commenter labelled Nolan a ‘horse abuser’, before a further individual said: ‘You got off lightly with your ban, practically whipping a horse to injury or death, you should be ashamed, owners should steer clear of you…’
Another added: ‘In my opinion, the 10 day ban given to Michael Nolan was not enough. A 13 year old horse thrashed over the Grand National fences on a hot day, when he clearly had no more to give was awful to see, and has now had devastating consequences. RIP Celebre d’Allen.’
An extra individual fumed: ‘Michael Nolan should be banned for life IMO, should never be allowed to ride in a race again those jockeys have a duty of care to the horses and he’s let Celebre D’Allen down, he rides many horses each week and knows when they are beaten. 0 excuse should be banned.’
Nolan’s accounts on X and Facebook were subsequently deleted following the abuse, while he was also heavily criticised by animal rights groups.
‘It is absolutely abhorrent that after racing until he had ‘no more to give’ in the Grand National, Celebre D’Allen has died,’ Animal Aid’s director Iain Green wrote in a statement.
‘The jockey riding him to the point of collapse received a pitiful 10-day suspension.
‘To allow a horse of this age to race in the most punishing and notoriously dangerous race on record is nothing short of criminal, and the responsibility for this falls with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
‘Horse running for their lives is not sport, it is blatant and disturbing animal abuse.’
Nolan subsequently deleted both his X and Facebook accounts in the wake of the abuse
The death of Celebre D’Allen continued to be a major talking point on social media and several fans highlighted the tragic incident as a chance to call for a major rule change at Aintree.
At 13, the horse was the eldest in the field – and fans felt that an age limit has to be introduced for the showpiece event in the future.
One said: ‘He should never have been entered in that race. Never. Not at 13 years old. That nasty jockey needs banning for life! Poor, poor Celebre D Allen, he did not deserve the way he was treated!’
Another fan added: ‘Not been a 13 year old winner in 100 years. Celebre D’allen was an out and out 3 miler. Have your day in the sun as an owner/jockey. Pull him up when necessary. Nolan’s had nearly 1200 rides in the last 5 years. He’s no amateur, in fact he’s good on his day. No excuses. RIP.’
A further fan chimed in with: ‘Desperately sad. It’s easy to reflect but the horse was 13 years old and the jockey clearly was not interested in the horses welfare. Celebre D’Allen is now dead. Credibility lost for all parties.’
An extra upset individual added: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking, particularly for those who loved and cared for him. I’m a racing fan but you have to question the decision to run a 13 year old in the GN in the first place. Jockey’s ban needs to be reviewed and extended. RIP Celebre D’Allen – you deserved better !’
Meanwhile, Broadway Boy, who suffered a terrible fall when leading the race, was the other runner to put be put into a horse ambulance at Aintree.
However, he is said to be making a rapid recovery having returned to trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies’ yard after being monitored on Saturday night by vets.
