A major horse racing meeting at Kempton Park was plunged into sorrow this weekend following the deaths of three horses during the Lanzarote Hurdle card. The fatalities, which included the highly-regarded Grade One-winning chaser Kalif Du Berlais, cast a pall over the day's events and prompted an outpouring of grief from trainers, jockeys, and the racing community.
A Devastating Blow for Champion Trainer
The most high-profile loss was Kalif Du Berlais, a talented six-year-old trained by champion trainer Paul Nicholls and part-owned by football legend Sir Alex Ferguson. The horse unseated jockey Harry Cobden in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase after sustaining a broken shoulder in a fall. Despite immediate veterinary attention, the injury was untreatable, and he was humanely euthanised on the course.
Nicholls described the loss as "a real kick in the teeth" and a "sad day" for his entire team. "He was just showing his class today, he jumped and travelled well and sadly now he will never be able to show the potential we thought he had," the despondent trainer stated. He confirmed that Cobden was so upset he missed his ride in the final race of the day.
Further Tragedies Mar the Card
The grim tally began earlier on the card. In the Coral Daily Rewards Shaker Handicap Chase, the Jonjo and AJ O'Neill-trained Peso was pulled up on the flat with a severe leg injury. Racecourse vets determined the injury was catastrophic, leaving euthanasia as the only welfare-focused option.
Later, during the juvenile hurdle, trainer Harry Derham's Wertpol fell at the final flight while running a promising race. The fall resulted in a fatal injury, and the horse was also put down. Derham took to social media to call it an "utterly miserable day," praising the horse's talent and expressing deep sadness for his syndicate owners.
Official Response and Welfare Focus
A spokesperson for Kempton Park issued a statement confirming the three separate incidents, detailing that each horse was "immediately attended to" by the on-site veterinary team. The statement emphasised that the decisions to euthanise were made solely on welfare grounds, being the kindest course of action for the animals.
"All of us at Kempton Park care deeply about the welfare of all racehorses, as do the thousands of racing staff who provide them with world-class levels of care at home every day," the statement read, extending heartfelt condolences to the connections of all three horses.
The tragic events at the Sunbury-on-Thames racecourse have reignited discussions about risk and safety in horse racing, a sport where the partnership between horse and jockey is paramount, yet inherent dangers remain. For the connections of Kalif Du Berlais, Peso, and Wertpol, it was a devastating conclusion to what should have been a day of competition and sport.
