Horse dies following fall at Kilbeggan races

A seven-year-old horse has died following a fall during a race at Kilbeggan Racecourse, prompting debate over horse welfare and safety at the Westmeath venue.

My Great Mate fell during the three-mile Clarke’s Electrical Contractors, Castletown Geoghegan Beginners Chase at Kilbeggan on September 4. The race was won by Begger, with the other three runners failing to complete the course. Official race results record My Great Mate and Chanceawetmorning as fallers, while Moonovercloon also failed to finish.

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS) has criticised the circumstances surrounding the race and said My Great Mate subsequently died. The organisation has also highlighted the falls of Chanceawetmorning and Moonovercloon at the final fence.

ICABS has raised wider concerns about a number of horses that it says died following races at Kilbeggan in recent months. Its statement also refers to four-year-old Dawn Coming, who fell in an earlier race on September 4, and Whats New, who was pulled up injured at the September 3 meeting. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board's daily enquiry record confirms that Whats New was pulled up injured at that meeting.

An independent horse-death monitoring database also records My Great Mate and Dawn Coming as fatalities following falls at Kilbeggan on September 4, while recording Whats New as having died following an injury.

ICABS is calling for an end to State funding for horse racing, arguing that the deaths demonstrate the risks associated with the sport.

Horse Racing Ireland, however, said racecourses operate within a robust framework designed to prioritise horse safety and welfare.

In response to the allegations, HRI said racecourses have veterinary teams, operational protocols and ongoing investment in track surfaces and facilities. It said these measures are intended to protect horses before, during and after racing.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board record for the September 4 meeting shows that veterinary and stewarding procedures were in operation. In the earlier race involving Dawn Coming, the horse fell at the final hurdle, while Rule Seventeen was pulled up.

The incident comes as Kilbeggan continues to host its programme of National Hunt racing. The death of My Great Mate is likely to renew discussion locally about the balance between maintaining the racecourse's long-standing role in the county and ensuring the highest possible standards of animal welfare.

Neither the reported death nor the circumstances of the fall, in themselves, establish that any racing regulations were breached. The available statements show instead a clear difference between animal-welfare campaigners' concerns about the risks of racing and HRI's position that established safety and veterinary measures are in place.