Cheltenham Festival’s Gold Cup was rocked by tragedy after it was confirmed Envoi Allen had passed away after the race.
Gaelic Warrior stormed to victory during Cheltenham’s showpiece race, but after the celebrations, ITV announced the worrying news that Envoi Allen had collapsed on its way back to the stables.
Reports added that vets and medical personnel were quick to attend to the horse as screens were put up. However, ITV shortly confirmed that Envoi Allen had passed away and they passed on their condolences to its connections.
(Image: PA)
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Envoi Allen, running for Henry De Bromhead, won twice at the festival – the 2019 Champion Bumper and 2020 Ballymore Novices Hurdle.
A spokesperson for Cheltenham Racecourse said: “After completing in our fifth race of the day, Envoi Allen collapsed on course. He was immediately attended to by a team of veterinary experts but sadly passed away.
“Envoi Allen was a supremely talented horse and our heartfelt condolences are with all his connections.”
Tributes have poured in on social media, as fans were left heartbroken as they offered their thoughts to Envoi Allen’s connections.
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.”
While Richard Thompson, Cheveley Park Stud, 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.”
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.