Jockey Micheal Nolan has protested his innocence after fierce criticism for his ride on Grand National horse Celebre D’Allen, who sadly passed away on Tuesday. The 13-year-old gelding was pulled up after the last fence at Aintree, with Nolan slammed for seemingly riding the 125/1 shot to his limit.
Nolan was hit with a 10-day ban after stewards launched an inquiry into the ride, with charity Animal Aid releasing a statement saying it was ‘absolutely abhorrent’ that Nolan had ridden Celebre D’Allen to an extent to which he had ‘no more to give’.
Nolan has been forced to delete his social media accounts in the wake of the abuse he has received, and he told the Racing Post: “It’s been portrayed that I don’t care about horses. That’s what the media are saying but in fact it’s the other way round. I’m obsessed with horses; I love them and I care deeply. I was absolutely heartbroken when the horse died, more than anyone can imagine.
“In the yard he was so popular with every member of staff. Whoever got to school him, it was a pleasure; whoever got to ride him up the gallops, he would look after the younger riders.
“You never want any horse to have anything happen to them but he was such a gentle and kind horse. It always makes it sadder when it happens to a horse who is loved by everybody.”
Nolan added that it was the use of the phrase ‘no more to give’ which seemed to strike a chord with fans, with social media comments ‘exploding’ following the horse’s death on Tuesday.
“The only thing I want people to know is that I’m more upset than anybody that something has happened and that if I’d thought for a moment that I might cost him his life or cause him a bad injury, then I would never have jumped the last,” he said.
“They came past me quicker than I’d have wanted after the second-last and the reason I sat up on him was to let him canter on and to assess if he had enough energy and momentum to jump the last.
“I wouldn’t have wanted him to get a fall and he popped it fine. It was just the stride immediately after the last when I was trying to get away from it, I could tell he couldn’t give me any more.”
The jockey said Celebre D’Allen didn’t collapse immediately after the race, and insists he did all he could to help him.
“He wasn’t injured and he didn’t collapse until two or three minutes after I got off him,” he said. “We led him away and we probably went 50 or 100 yards from when I got off him.
“There was no water by the fence so I ran halfway up the run-in to meet somebody coming with water and then I ran back down with a bucket, and he still hadn’t collapsed by then. It all happened progressively and a lot slower than has been portrayed.
“I’ve had high-profile people in this sport who I’ve never spoken to, texting me, saying that I should keep my head up and that I didn’t do anything wrong. That just highlights how bad the social media has been. They’re reading it and feeling sorry for me. I haven’t read the messages but I’ve got a very strong gist of what they’re saying.”
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