'It's been portrayed like I don't care but I'm more heartbroken than anyone can imagine about Celebre D'Allen'

Micheal Nolan has strongly refuted widespread criticism on social media and in the general press which blamed him for riding beyond the point where Celebre D'Allen had no more to give in the closing stages of Saturday's Grand National. 

The veteran chaser collapsed after jumping the last and, having initially responded well to treatment, died of a secondary bacterial infection on Tuesday. 

Nolan said he was too upset at the death of Celebre D'Allen to appeal against the ten-day ban handed to him by the Aintree stewards. 

"It’s been portrayed that I don’t care about horses," the jockey said. "That’s what the media are saying but in fact it’s the other way round. I’m obsessed with horses; I love them and I care deeply. I was absolutely heartbroken when the horse died, more than anyone can imagine.

"In the yard he was so popular with every member of staff. Whoever got to school him, it was a pleasure; whoever got to ride him up the gallops, he would look after the younger riders.

"You never want any horse to have anything happen to them but he was such a gentle and kind horse. It always makes it sadder when it happens to a horse who is loved by everybody."

The raceday stewards banned Nolan for deciding to jump the last on Celebre D'Allen "when the horse appeared to have no more to give", a phrase Nolan said had caused the press and social media commentary to "explode".

"Ten strides before the second-last fence I thought I might win the Grand National and then two strides after the last I knew something had gone wrong," he said.

Micheal Nolan: "I’m more upset than anybody that something has happened"Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"That’s how quick I went from travelling so easy and you can almost see the winning post from where you are, to getting off him and trying your best to help him; to coming in and getting a ban and then abuse on social media."

Describing his actions – both in terms of how he felt Celebre D'Allen was going on Saturday, and also the experience of riding him in two previous races over the National fences – Nolan said he felt he had no way of knowing his mount would come to the end of his effort so quickly. 

"The only thing I want people to know is that I’m more upset than anybody that something has happened and that if I’d thought for a moment that I might cost him his life or cause him a bad injury, then I would never have jumped the last," he said. 

"They came past me quicker than I'd have wanted after the second-last and the reason I sat up on him was to let him canter on and to assess if he had enough energy and momentum to jump the last.

"I wouldn’t have wanted him to get a fall and he popped it fine. It was just the stride immediately after the last when I was trying to get away from it, I could tell he couldn’t give me any more."

Nolan said he wasn't alone in thinking Celebre D'Allen was cruising coming to two out, having spoken to Brian Hayes, rider of third-placed Grangeclare West.

He added: "Brian said to me yesterday, 'You and I turned in upsides and I thought I was going to win, but then I looked over at you and thought, 'Who’s that?' He thought going to the second-last that he was going well but I was going better. That’s how quick it happened."

Nolan also said the reporting of how events unfolded once he had jumped off had been inaccurate in some quarters. 

"That’s the bit I’m disappointed about," said Nolan. "The headlines in the Irish papers and the tabloids were all 'Grand National jockey forces injured horse to collapse'.

"None of that is true. He wasn’t injured and he didn’t collapse until two or three minutes after I got off him. We led him away and we probably went 50 or 100 yards from when I got off him.

"There was no water by the fence so I ran halfway up the run-in to meet somebody coming with water and then I ran back down with a bucket, and he still hadn’t collapsed by then. It all happened progressively and a lot slower than has been portrayed."

Following advice from the Professional Jockeys Association, Nolan deactivated his social media accounts earlier in the week – which led to a fresh round of headlines and online condemnation – but says he is well aware of the criticism, judging by the messages of support he has received.

"I’ve had high-profile people in this sport who I’ve never spoken to, texting me, saying that I should keep my head up and that I didn’t do anything wrong," he said. "That just highlights how bad the social media has been. They’re reading it and feeling sorry for me. I haven’t read the messages but I’ve got a very strong gist of what they’re saying." 

Read more:

Celebre D'Allen post-mortem report says death of Grand National runner not directly caused by post-race collapse 

'He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly' - Celebre D'Allen dies following Grand National run 

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