Top Galway racehorse Go Native dies on the gallops

John McIntyre

THE Galway connections of high class hurdler Go Native are still reeling after the popular nine-year-old suffered a fatal injury on the gallops at Noel Meade’s yard near Navan last Friday morning.

Winner of three Grade One races, including the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the 2009 Cheltenham National Hunt festival, Go Native broke a hind leg during a routine workout and had to be put down.

It’s a devastating blow to the horse’s owners, the Galway based Docado Syndicate, headed by Kitty Carr and Eamon Doyle of the Park House Hotel in the city, and trainer Meade, who endured the attitional trauma of seeing the injury occurring.

Just the previous Sunday, the success of Go Native’s continued comeback from a serious tendon injury was underlined when he threw down a serious challenge to former Champion Hurdle, Hurricane Fly, in another Grade One contest at Punchestown.

Unfortunately, Paul Carberry’s mount took a crashing fall at the last flight in the Morgiana Hurdle, but connections were relieved to see Go Native quickly get to his feet and showing no ill-effects from his high speed tumble.

Indeed, the horse’s preparation for potential upcoming big race targets, the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, had been unaffected by that mishap at Punchestown only for tragedy to strike last Friday.

Trainer Meade was left distraught over the passing of his stable star. “His owners and all of us here are heartbroken by what has happened. Go Native was doing a steady canter when he broke his off-hind leg above the hock. I heard an almighty crack and it happened just 100 yards away from me.

“He had been 100 per cent since Punchestown and was hacking through the week until we decided where he might run next. It’s an awful loss and everyone here is gutted. His owners had been so patient with the horse and we were all thrilled by how well he had come back after such a long lay-off.”

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.