A horse that collapsed during a race over the weekend died afterward following the collapse, and his jockey has been punished as a result, it has been announced.
The inicident took place during The Grand National event, which is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Liverpool, England.
13-year-old horse, named Celebre d'Allen, the oldest of the 34 runners, was pulled up after the final fence and collapsed on the track.
The Grand National is the most lucrative race in Europe with an estimated winners prize of around 1 million Pounds (Sh160 million).
Following treatment on the course, the horse was walked into the horse ambulance and taken to the racecourse stables for further assessment.
After initially showing signs of recovery, his condition "deteriorated significantly," and he died on Tuesday, the BBC reports.
Jockey Micheal Nolan, Celebre d'Allen's rider, was handed a 10-day suspension after stewards ruled he had "continued in the race when the horse appeared to have no more to give and was clearly losing ground after the second-last fence".
It is claimed that amateur jockey Nolan, 35, breached the whip rules during the race by using his whip eight times after the final fence when the limit in jump racing is seven.
Celebre d'Allen was the second fatality at the Grand National festival after Willy De Houelle sustained a fatal injury when falling in Thursday's Juvenile Hurdle.
Broadway Boy, who led the National before suffering a heavy fall, has now returned home.
Prior to Saturday's race, there had been no fatal injuries in the previous nine races run over the Grand National course since the 2023 event.
The number of runners in the showpiece race was cut from 40 to 34 after the 2023 race, where one horse died, to improve safety.