plaques should be awarded to those who look-after racehorses that live to a grand old age.

​Although there is always an element of sadness when news filters through that a fondly-remembered former racehorse has died, to me, at least, there is always a sense of joy if that horse has lived a long life of retirement, as with Native Upmanship who has passed away aged 31. It is a great achievement for those who care for a racehorse if it lives to such a grand age and the staff at Coolmore should be congratulated for their dedication to the care and well-being of not only Native Upmanship but all the retired horses that live out their lives at Ireland’s premier equine establishment.
I will admit I was surprised, and equally delighted, to discover that the Magnier jumpers retire to Coolmore as I thought it was an empire that catered only for the most blue-blooded of thoroughbreds. I might be wrong, but it would not surprise me if Coolmore has an equine cemetery in order to give their former heroes a dignified passing into the world beyond as no stone is ever unturned at Coolmore when it comes to the welfare and respect of its residents.
Harcibald, too, died recently, aged 25. Noel Meade, who trained him to win 5 Grade 1’s, was quoted as saying the horse was treated like a king in retirement, which is a perfectly reasonable aspiration for how all racehorses should live when retired.
The horse racing establishment is finally mandating the principle of horses being cared-for from birth to death by keeping a register of retired horses, going a good distance towards a wardenship to govern where they are kept so their health of the retired herd can be, if loosely, monitored. It is a huge step in the right direction and for greater improvement in this vital aspect of the sport more funds should, one way or another, be made available. In fact, I believe, in the same vein as people who reach their one-hundredth birthday receive a telegram from the monarch, owners and carers of former racehorses that live till their thirtieth year should receive a plaque of recognition from the B.H.A. 
You might argue that vanity might encourage people to keep a horse going for longer than its overall welfare demands just for the recognition of receiving a plaque, though I would contend that people who care for horses, especially elderly horses, always put the horse before themselves and though the odd malefactor will act selfishly, overall that will not be the case.

The past week or so, at Chester and then again at York this week, there has been two incidents that have chilled my heart, two fatalities I found more harrowing that any I have witnessed over jumps for a very long time. Having only seen a replay of the finish of Hidden Law’s first race of the season and then the Chester Vase live on television, I had really fallen for the little horse and thought this was a Godolphin horse the public would take to their hearts. He looked such a battler and at Chester he also displayed true class. Derby favourite. Derby winner, I said to myself as he passed the post, only to have to avert my eyes as William Buick leapt off him as it was clear he had suffered a devastating injury as he pulled-up. I felt sorry for spectators who had to witness such tragedy as Chester is an intimate venue and it would have been impossible for vets and groundstaff to do their jobs in the privacy such a horrible task demanded.
Then in a sprint race at York, a horse formerly trained at Ballydoyle, Hispanic, broke a leg and carried on running until he was caught. A horse running on three legs is, I believe, the most horrible sight imaginable on a racecourse. Neither jockey was injured in either incident, nor was Tom Marquand in the following race at York, when his horse clipped heels and turned a somersault, thankfully rising to his feet uninjured. The jockey rising uninjured, however, never dilutes the chill of witnessing a horse sacrificing its life in pursuit of human entertainment, can never make a good news story out of a tragedy that hits hardest those closest to the horse.
The events at Chester and York put into perspective the disappointment felt by connections to King of Steel suffering an injury that will put him out of action until the autumn. Even if he never runs again, he continues to live and breath and will find gainful employment in the breeding shed at one fancy stud or another.