Balthazar King, the horse injured during the Grand National on Saturday, is showing steady improvement. He fell at the Canal turn, bringing down Ballycasey who ran into him. He suffered several broken ribs.
He was treated for about an hour at the Aintree track before being transported to the University of Liverpool Equine Hospital.
Trainer Philip Hobbs reported yesterday:
Balthazar King has had a good 24 hours and (is) making steady progress. He has broken a couple of ribs and is very sore but is eating and seems bright in himself.
Balthazar King finished second in the 2014 Grand National and was favored to win.
this is good news. The best news though, would be the elimination of the Grand National.
I have very mixed feelings about the Grand National — as well as other races at that level and the Point-t0-Point timber races here in the US. It is amazing to watch horses perform at the very top levels, and yet the risk of injury/death is still too high. I do believe that the measures that have been taken to improve the safety of the Grand National are working. The jumps have been made smaller and the come down more easily.
Thank you for the update. I’ve never heard of a horse with broken/cracked ribs. I’ve heard it’s very painful in humans. So glad a major catastrophe was averted.
My experience with broken ribs is that it hurt more (and longer) than childbirth. I’m glad to hear he’s recovering and receiving such good care.