Willie Mullins: 'If Paul thought there was something wrong, he'd have been the first person to pull Gold Dancer up'

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Willie Mullins has supported Paul Townend's riding of Gold Dancer after the horse suffered a fatal injury in winning the William Hill Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree on Friday.

Gold Dancer made a mistake at the last fence when well clear of his rivals but was gathered up by Townend and ridden out to the line. The jockey quickly dismounted after the race and screens went up around Gold Dancer, but he could not be saved.

A stewards' inquiry was held into the riding of Gold Dancer, but no action was taken against Townend, while Mullins explained his stable jockey was unaware of any issues until the race had finished.

The trainer said: "Paul said to me the horse galloped through the line fine, went down to a slow pace of a canter and just as he was turning the bend [after the winning line] he went into a trot, and that was the first time he felt something. The horse lost his action and it's awful."

• Tragic end to Mildmay Novices' Chase as winner Gold Dancer is euthanised with broken back 

With the focus on horse welfare paramount on the eve of the world's most famous chase, there was debate about whether Townend should have pulled up immediately after the error at the fence.

Mullins said: "Paul didn't feel the horse had any damage and he galloped the whole way to the line. Unless they feel the horse's action really go wrong, a rider isn't going to stop. He didn't feel anything was wrong until after the line. If Paul thought there was something wrong, he'd have been the first person to pull the horse up."

Of the nature of Gold Dancer's injury, Mullins said: "I'm sure they'll know what's actually happened when they've done an autopsy. It could have been his back, the sacroiliac. There are any amount of bones in there and until someone checks it out, we won't know."

James Given, BHA director of equine health and welfareCredit: Edward Whitaker

BHA director of equine health and welfare, James Given, who was appointed to the role in 2020, was part of the inquiry and said: "I don't believe Townend was able to notice [the injury] at all, as the horse stayed in a straight line, not hanging or being asymmetric in any way. The horse felt normal to him, it was only when the action changed from a canter down to a trot that he became aware. He behaved as he absolutely should have done then in pulling him up and jumping off straight away. 

"After determination by the vets, the horse was upright but wobbly. The screens were then put straight around them as the vets were giving him all the time they needed to examine him. But the horse then did collapse and at that point he was euthanised."

A statement from the BHA read: "We are all saddened by the fatal injury of Gold Dancer following today’s William Hill Mildmay Novices' Chase and our thoughts are with everybody connected to the horse. 

"After the race, the stewards held an inquiry to consider the circumstances of this incident and took evidence from vets and the horse’s jockey Paul Townend. 

"Paul Townend told the stewards that, following a bad mistake at the final fence, Gold Dancer took a stride or two to gather himself but felt sound and continued running in a straight line to the finish. 

"He then reported that Gold Dancer’s action changed after the line, as he rounded the bend and changed from a canter to a trot, at which point he immediately dismounted to allow veterinary surgeons to quickly attend to the horse. 

"The veterinary assessment was that the appropriate course of action was to humanely euthanise the horse. 

"As is the case with any fatal injury, the incident will now be looked at in detail through our fatality review process, which is part of the sport’s commitment to ongoing improvements in racehorse safety."

Townend declined to comment.