Micheal Nolan is serving a 10-day suspension after his controversial ride at Saturday’s Grand National. The Irishman was aboard Celebre D’Allen, who collapsed after being pulled up late in the race, and has now died after ‘deteriorating significantly’.

Celebre D’Allen was towards the front of the pack for almost the entirety of the historic Aintree contest, until Nolan downed tools with the 13-year-old losing ground on the leaders and struggling to clear the last two fences. The horse then collapsed on track and required veterinary attention before walking into a trailer under his own steam.

Despite initial signs that Celebre D’Allen would make a full recovery, trainers Philip Hobbs & Johnson White have confirmed the sad news that a serious deterioration has led to his death. Part of their statement read: “He received the very best treatment by the veterinary teams and was improving. However, he deteriorated significantly last night and could not be saved.”

Here, Express Sport takes you through everything we know about the events leading up to Nolan’s ban…

Why Celebre D’Allen jockey was banned

It emerged shortly after the race that Nolan’s ride would be subject to a stewards’ enquiry. They investigated the issue of whether Nolan was within his rights to continue pushing Celebre D’Allen after he struggled to clear the penultimate fence.

They concluded that Nolan, who was appointed stable jockey by Hobbs and White in 2023, continued on a horse which had nothing left in the tank. Their statement read: “An enquiry was held to consider whether Micheal Nolan, the rider of Celebre d’Allen, had continued in the race when the horse appeared to have no more to give and was clearly losing ground after the second-last fence.

“The rider and the veterinary officer were interviewed, and recordings of the interview were viewed. The rider was suspended for 10 days.”

Nolan’s ban will be effective between April 19 and April 26, as well as on the days of May 3 and May 5.

What happened after the race

Celebre D’Allen remained at Aintree overnight on Saturday for further veterinary examinations. And what seemed like positive news emerged on Sunday morning, as Hobbs and White posted a video of the horse on their official X account, captioned: “Celebre D’Allen bright & breezy this morning after running so well in the Grand National.”

But things took a turn on Monday night, when trainers say his condition worsened. The Hobbs and White stable say they are ‘heartbroken’ by the death of a ‘wonderful horse’, and they will ‘miss him greatly’.

Reaction to Celebre D’Allen’s death

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) insist they will look into the circumstances around Celebre D’Allen’s death, and they remain committed to making the Grand National as safe as possible.

BHA chief Brant Dunshea said as part of a lengthy statement: “The BHA and Aintree racecourse will analyse the race and this incident in detail, as is the case every year and with every fatal injury in any race. The steps we have taken to improve safety over the years reflects the great respect we have for our horses, and our commitment to their safety.”

Animal rights group Animal Aid say the suspension given to Nolan was ‘pitiful’. A spokesperson said: “It is absolutely abhorrent that, after racing until he had ‘no more to give’ in the Grand National, Celebre D’Allen has died. The jockey riding him to the point of collapse received a pitiful 10-day suspension. Horses running for their lives is not sport.”