Hill Sixteen, an 80-1 outsider trained by Sandy Thomson, suffered a fatal injury during the Randox Grand National on a mixed day for Scotland at Aintree.
The 10-year-old, whose part owner Jimmy Fyffe is a director of Dundee United football club, was attended to by vets but could not be saved after coming down with jockey Ryan Mania at the first fence.
Fyffe confirmed the loss of Hill Sixteen when in the winners’ enclosure an hour later when Florida Dreams captured the Grade 2 bumper race for trainer Nicky Richards.
A Jockey Club spokesperson said: "Sadly, while racing in the Grand National, Hill Sixteen sustained an unrecoverable injury. Our sincere sympathies are with connections."
Hill Sixteen became the fifth horse to die taking part in the Grand National in four runnings after two in 2022 (Eclair Surf and Discorama), the Long Mile in 2021 and Up For Review in 2019.
Two other horses, Recite A Prayer and Cape Gentleman, were being assessed by the racecourse veterinary team after the race, while jockey Jonathan Burke was taken to hospital with a suspected arm injury after his mount Sam Brown fell at the Chair.
Hill Sixteen was one of two horses to lose their life on the day following the death of the Willie Mullns-trained Dark Raven in the third race on the card, the Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, which was won by Irish Point.
Dark Raven, owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, had won three of his five races under rules and finished sixth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival before his latest start for which he was sent off a 100-30 chance.
Munir said on Twitter : "Thank you for all your kind messages on the sad loss of our dear Dark Raven RIP."
Envoye Special was racing over Grand National in a race confined by amateur riders when he lost his partner at the ninth fence, the one before Becher’s Brook.
The Kieran Burke-trained nine-year-old continued riderless but fell at one of the subsequent fences.
He was assessed by Aintree’s on-course veterinary team but the track subsequently confirmed he had unfortunately sustained a fatal injury.
