Envoi Allen dies after Cheltenham Gold Cup in final race before retirement
Envoi Allen has died after running in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Vets at the racecourse attended after he collapsed while walking back to the stables.
He is the third horse to die at this year's Festival. Hansard and HMS Seahorse also died, albeit after falls.
The horse's owners, Cheveley Park Stud, confirmed before the race that it would be the 12-year-old's final run before retirement, and he finished ninth as the oldest contender, a place behind Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man. Gaelic Warrior won the Gold Cup as joint-favourite by eight lengths from Jango Baie, who finished second, with Inothewayurthinkin third.
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Envoi Allen's jockey Darragh O'Keeffe said: "Everything was grand and I was happy out there. He pulled up A1 and everything like that, but when we were trotting back [after the race], he collapsed. He was unbelievable and a special horse; he won numerous races, and it just happened so fast."
Richard Thompson, from the horse's owners, has said: "We didn't see it, but the vets okayed them all after the race, and Darragh said he was pricking his ears after the race. He then went over as he was coming back onto the chute.
"He'd just retired, but then in a minute or two, he was gone. He was such a lovely little horse, and it wasn't the ending we wanted. He's been an incredible servant and just wonderful over the years. It's such a sad way to go."
Gold Cup-winning jockey Andrew Thornton reacted on BBC Radio 5 Live at Cheltenham. Thornton said: "That is a real dampener, he was a magnificent horse, and it was his eighth time at the Festival, it is difficult to take in a race like that."
Their commentator, John Hunt, also paid tribute. He said: "Desperately sad news on what was Envoi Allen's last run at Cheltenham, he was a 12-year-old.
"He had such a legion of supporters throughout his amazing career; he won three times at the Cheltenham Festival and was a 10-time grade one winner.
"Henry de Bromhead said, 'he was so well at home that they had to let him run this afternoon'." The horse moved from Gordon Elliott to De Bromhead during his career.
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The Jockey Club - organisers of the Cheltenham Festival - says it works continuously to minimise the risks at its events and says the industry has spent £63m on equine welfare since 2000.
The Jockey Club says data shows the rate of fallers in horse races has declined in all of the last 21 years and is now just 1.98% of runners. The fatal injury rate in 2025 was just 0.22% of 86,300 runners, according to its figures.
It stated that recent improvements include changing of markers on jumps on all racecourses from orange to white, following research into equine vision; a change to padded hurdles to reduce fallers; and the introduction of a detailed review process within 48 hours of every fatality on a racecourse.
The Jockey Club said that the racing industry regularly consults with established welfare organisations such as World Horse Welfare, RSPCA and Blue Cross to ensure it continually meets the highest standards.