Australian Olympic rider Shane Rose is in intensive care having undergone surgery for a broken pelvis and femur following a cross-country schooling accident on Thursday (14 March). Shane’s team said he suffered a “nasty fall” in which he also sustained broken ribs and concussion, but his horse was “thankfully not injured”. “While the timing is unfortunate we are hopeful there is adequate time for him to recover and still be able to continue his preparation schedule for the Paris Olympic Games,” said Shane’s spokesman. “We are so thankful to the fantastic team at home who have stepped up in Shane’s absence to ensure it was business as usual at Bimbadeen Park. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Galopin Des Champs ridden by Paul Townend (left) and trained by Willie Mullins on their way to winning the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase on day four of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. Bravemansgame and Harry Cobden jump alongside them to finish in eventual second.
(Image credit: Alamy Live News.)
Today is the final day of action at the Cheltenham Festival, with the prestigious Gold Cup due to start at 3.30pm. All eyes are on last year’s winner, the Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs and jockey Paul Townend, as they bid to make it two in a row. Yesterday one of the major talking points from the Festival was trainer Emma Lavell’s announcement that Paisley Park will retire from racing, having finished 10th in his sixth Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle. The 12-year-old, who won the race in 2019, recorded £729,426 and four Grade One victories during his sterling career.
British Showjumping’s Young Horse Championships will move to Hickstead this summer (9-12 August), with a bumper £80,000 prize pot up for grabs. The show features qualifiers and finals for four-, five-, six-, and seven-year-olds; the finals are also qualifiers for the World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken, Belgium, in September. “We are really pleased to be the new hosts of this prestigious championships, which will be a showcase for the very best of young showjumping horses in this country,” said Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
