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Heartbreak for Hobbs: Celebre D’Allen Passes Away Following Grand National

The 2025 Aintree Grand National will go down in history as the race in which Willie Mullins added an incredible 1-2-3 to his phenomenal list of achievements (not to mention the other two runners he had inside the top seven). Throw in the fact that the winner, Nick Rockett, was ridden by Mullins’ son, Patrick, and that one of the owners was a friend who had tragically passed away, and you had a Grand National tale to live long in the memory.

Concern Amid Celebrations

The biggest betting event of the year rarely passes by without drama. Amidst the celebrations, there was concern regarding the stricken duo Broadway Boy and Celebre D’Allen. The former took what looked to be a heavy fall at the 25th fence, whilst the latter needed veterinary care, having pulled up alarmingly on the run-in.

No race faces such scrutiny as the Aintree Grand National, with animal rights groups keen to use the event to protest against the sport of racing. Racing deserves credit for listening to the concerns and making alterations to the fences, the start, and reducing the size of the field. Happily, no deaths had occurred in the race since the field was capped at 34, and the racing world crossed its fingers that would remain the case in 2025.

Initial Reports Positive

Following their misfortunes in the Grand National, Broadway Boy and Celebre D’Allen remained in Aintree to receive veterinary assessment and care. Whilst both runners were expected to need time to recover, the initial reports were positive.

Broadway Boy was back home at the yard of Nigel Twiston-Davies by Sunday afternoon, whilst Celebre D’Allen looked set to continue his recuperation at a nearby livery yard. Joint trainer Johnson White issued an update on Celebre D’Allen’s health, “He stayed up there overnight, but he looks better this morning, and things are going in the right way.”

Rapid Deterioration on Monday Evening

Almost a week after the big race, the latest reports surrounding Broadway Boy remain positive. Tragically, this is not the case for Celebre D’Allen. Taking to X on Tuesday afternoon, Philip Hobbs & Johnson White released the following statement, “We’re heartbroken to share that Celebre D’Allen has passed away. He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving. However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved. He was a wonderful horse, and we will all miss him greatly.”

National Not Directly to Blame

Whether or not the Grand National was to blame will likely be of little consolation to those who loved and looked after the horse and those that care about animals in general. However, post-mortem results suggest that it was a bacterial infection rather than his Aintree exertions which led to his demise.

Outlining the findings of the post-mortem conducted by Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons of Newmarket, a statement on the British Horseracing Authority website stated, “The findings of the post-mortem state that the exercise-associated episode experienced by the horse after the race had concluded by the time of death. However, a severe bacterial respiratory infection had occurred post-race, which led to the horse’s deterioration on Monday evening, with the subsequent onset of sepsis or endotoxaemia likely to have been a key factor in the cause of death.”

Of course, the two issues may be linked in some way but ultimately horses, like humans, all die eventually, and it seems this was just a case of bad luck and a serious infection. Celebre D’Allen passed away at 13 years of age, having won nine of 30 starts under rules and amassed £237,104 in prize money for connections. Successful at Listed level during his time in France, his final victory came at Bangor in November 2024.