Big shock for Longsdon after sad loss of Red Rum winner Bentelimar

The Charlie Longsdon yard has been dealt a huge blow with the core jumps season just around the corner after Bentelimar suffered a fatal injury in a freak accident.

The nine-year-old had been with Longsdon since October after joining from Shay Barry and gave him his first winner at the Grand National meeting when landing the Red Rum Handicap Chase in April.

Longsdon was left scratching his head as to what happened and said: “It was just one of those unfortunate crazy incidents. He’s been a real flagship horse since arriving at the stable. We’re not a small yard but we’re clearly not a huge yard either, so this is tough to take.”

Bentelimar was the trainer’s highest-earning horse last season, winning nearly £60,000 in prize-money, and recorded a career-best Racing Post Rating of 150 in the Red Rum.

Longsdon added: “He gave us our first Aintree festival winner, which was a great day. We had big plans for him and I’m devastated for the guys at home who looked after him on a daily basis.”

Johnny Burke, who rode Bentelimar in all but one of his six starts for Longsdon, led the tributes on Twitter.

Bentelimar, who ran for the Swanee River Partnership, won seven of his 38 starts in all for earnings of £152,595.

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