Post-mortem examinations of the three horses that died at Cheltenham on Sunday have suggested that none of the deaths “could have been foreseen or prevented” before the meeting.

Bangers And Cash, Abuffalosoldier and Napper Tandy all died on the final day of the November meeting, prompting enhanced scrutiny by the British Horseracing Authority.

The review, which includes the collection and analysis of information from racecourse staff, the jockeys, trainers, the trainer’s vet, along with relevant medical and training records, identified the cause of each of the three deaths and found no causal link between them.

An update from the sport’s governing body said: “On occasions when multiple deaths occur on a given day, enhanced protocols are often adopted which include assessing the incidents to determine if any causal relationship can be attributed. This process may include post-mortem examinations of the affected horses.

“In this case, all three horses were sent for post-mortem and the results have confirmed that both Bangers And Cash and Abuffalosoldier suffered from separate variants of cardiovascular collapse, which is a form of Exercise Associated Sudden Death (EASD).

“Napper Tandy fractured a vertebra in her neck after a fall, with no other abnormalities identified.

“No causal link could be identified and as it stands none of the deaths could have been foreseen or prevented prior to the race.

“As with humans, EASD can occur in young, fit and otherwise apparently healthy horses of all breeds. However, incidents of EASD are rare in racing, with an overall rate of 0.04 percent of runners (four in 10,000) resulting in this result. Specifically in showjumping, the rate is 0.09 percent, or nine out of 10,000 runners.”

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