Born Patriot dies at Cheltenham Festival as death toll mounts
Posted 18th March 2022
Friday, March 18, 2022
Chris Luffingham, director of external affairs at leading animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports, has commented on the mounting death toll at the Cheltenham Festival after it emerged a third horse, Born Patriot, was put down yesterday following a fall.
He said: “Three horses have died in just three days and 72 horses have now died since the year 2000 at the Cheltenham Festival. Enough is enough. This appalling death toll is simply unacceptable and we need change fast to ensure that the racing industry makes animal welfare its priority.
“We need new and much tighter safety measures to be implemented and we are calling for an independent regulatory body to be created with horse welfare as its only concern.
“There should also be a ban on the whip which forces horses to go beyond what they are comfortably able to do resulting in stress, injuries, and deaths.”
The three horses that have been destroyed are Shallwehaveonemore, Mindsmadeup, and Born Patriot.
ENDS