Grand National jockey Micheal Nolan has broken his silence after the death of horse Celebre D'Allen, saying he is "heartbroken" and has been misunderstood.
Nolan was given a 10-day ban after riding the 13-year-old gelding over the last fence despite the horse having "no more to give".
The 125/1 outsider collapsed after the final fence on Saturday and later died, prompting widespread anguish.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) confirmed that Nolan had breached riding rules by continuing on a horse that was clearly struggling.
Grand National jockey Micheal Nolan has broken his silence after the death of horse Celebre D'Allen, saying he is "heartbroken" and has been misunderstood
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After a torrent of social media abuse following the incident, the jockey deleted his social media accounts.
Celebre D'Allen, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, initially appeared to improve on Sunday before deteriorating significantly.
Nolan 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," he added.
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R.I.P Celebre d'Allen, killed after racing in The Grand National. This takes the death toll of this barbaric three-day meeting up to 67 horses killed since 2000. 💔 pic.twitter.com/flztrmbwTC
— Animal Aid (@AnimalAid) April 8, 2025
The jockey emphasised his affection for Celebre D'Allen, describing him as "gentle and kind".
"Ten strides before the second-last fence I thought I might win the Grand National and then two strides after the last I knew something had gone wrong," Nolan explained.
He described how quickly the situation changed from potentially winning to realising the horse was in trouble.
Nolan insisted he assessed the horse's condition before the final jump.
"I wouldn't have jumped the last if I'd thought it might cost him his life," he said.
"The only thing I want people to know is that I'm more upset than anybody that something has happened.
"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.
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"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."
Philip Hobbs and Johnson White Racing confirmed the death in a statement: "We're heartbroken to share that Celebre D'Allen has passed away. He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving."
Celebre D'Allen died after running in the Grand National
PA
"However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved. He was a wonderful horse and we will all miss him greatly," the statement continued.
Celebre D'Allen had started well in the Grand National before appearing to be in difficulty after the second-last fence.
After jumping the last, the gelding was able to walk into a horse ambulance for further assessment before later passing away.
