LEE WESTWOOD’S Grand National hope Bellshill died on the gallops on Monday.
Trained by Scottish handler Sandy Thomson, Westwood and co-owner David Armstrong had big hopes their star would go close in the Grand National at Aintree next month.
But Armstrong cruelly reported that their horse sustained a fatal injury on Thomson’s gallops this morning.
The former Grade 1 winner had previously been trained by Willie Mullins in Ireland and was as short as 25-1 with some bookies for the Grand National.
Armstrong tweeted: “Unfortunately we have to report that Bellshill sustained a fatal injury on the gallops @LambdenRacing this morning, a kind, giant of a horse who Lee Westwood and I, had big expectations of, he will be missed by all. RIP lad X”
The owners also recently had to retire one-time superstar Yorkhill after he suffered an injury.
Bellshill won 11 of his 27 races under rules, with the best of those coming in the 2019 Irish Gold Cup.
He amassed over £560,000 in prize money during his career and was previously owned by Graham Wylie.
Westwood, after the weights for the Grand National were announced, previously made clear his goal was to run him in the Aintree race.
He said at the time: “To win the National would be unbelievable. It’s what dreams are made of and it’s the biggest horse race in the world.
“Just to have a runner in it is incredible, but to have a winner would be staggering – it’s difficult to put into words.
“The Grand National is very high up in my affections.”
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Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/2021/03/08/trainer-fined-for-using-inappropriate-language-and-speaking-in-an-aggressive-manner-after-altercation-with-own-jockey/
