Rooneys to stop having runners at Cheltenham due to injury concerns
Concerns Cheltenham is contributing to an increased risk of injury to their horses have resulted in leading owners Paul and Clare Rooney instructing trainers not to make entries for their string at the home of jump racing.
Paul Rooney, 71, and his wife Clare, 52, have written to their trainers informing them they do not want their horses to be considered for races at Cheltenham for the time being due to worries their runners at the course are at a heightened threat of potential harm.
The most recent runner at Cheltenham for the Rooneys came on the Friday of the November meeting, while no entries were made for the two-day December meeting or for New Year’s Day.
Safety at Cheltenham was scrutinised after the death of six horses at the last festival, and one afterwards as a result of injuries sustained at the meeting, leading to a BHA review that resulted in 17 recommendations to improve equine welfare.
Watch Willoughby Court winning the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival
Among the implementations set to take place are pre-race veterinary checks on all runners at the festival, monitoring and analysis of faller rates and a continuation of trials by Jockey Club Racecourses, the owner of Cheltenham, into the use of padded hurdles and methods for improving obstacle visibility.
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Published on 31 December 2018inNews
Last updated 19:24, 31 December 2018
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