The last race on day one at the Festival turned into a very troubling spectacle, with twice as many fallers as finishers, and it ended with the death of Ballyward, who had started the race as the 9-4 favourite. In the moments after the National Hunt Chase, three sets of green screens were erected at different points on the course as vets scrambled to save the lives of fallen horses, providing a shocking scene for racegoers leaving the site.

Eventually, the screens at the second-last were taken down to reveal that Atlanta Ablaze and Mulcahys Hill had struggled to their feet. Moments later, Just Your Type emerged from behind screens at the final fence to prove that he had just been winded, and all three horses were able to walk off the course towards the stable block.

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But a fourth miracle proved too much to hope for and Ballyward was euthanised on the landing side of the 17th fence, which leads away from the stands on to the final circuit. Meanwhile, Finian Maguire was the only jockey taken to hospital, following his fall on Whisperinthebreeze in the same race. Details of his injury were not available.

The stewards were kept busy with the fallout for the following two hours and eventually suspended three jockeys for continuing in the race “when it appeared to be contrary to the horse’s welfare”, official code for the horse being so tired that he should have been pulled up. Those punished included Robert James, rider of Just Your Type, who got a 12-day suspension for this offence and an additional seven days for using his whip when his horse was showing no response.

Noel McParlan, a winner at the Festival last year on Missed Approach, was suspended for eight days and Declan Lavery for 10 days, both for continuing when the stewards felt they should not have done. Damien Skehan faces an inquiry into the same offence when he returns to the course later this week. Thankfully, their horses were not injured. No blame was attached to the riding of Ballyward, whose jockey was Patrick Mullins.

The National Hunt Chase is a historic race, the most important of the Festival at one time in the distant past and treasured by many jump racing enthusiasts. But it has become an oddity, being a marathon contest restricted to novice chasers and amateur riders, a combination of factors that might be calculated to produce spills as well as thrills, and its continued existence now seems likely to come into question.

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In the review of safety at Cheltenham, carried out by the British Horseracing Authority after seven equine deaths at this race-meeting last year, this race was identified as presenting “the highest risk of incident at the Festival”, incident being defined as a horse falling or being brought down. The average rate over the last decade has been 12.7% of runners and that will be higher again after Tuesday’s race.

But the review panel evidently struggled to see obvious scope for a change, noting that shortening the race would be likely to produce a faster pace, which has its own dangers. While they mulled some new condition that would allow only the most experienced amateur riders into the field, they concluded that any such condition might mean there were not enough qualified jockeys for the horses entered.

In the end, the panel settled for noting that the race’s faller-rate was in gradual decline. But it promised to take action “should the incident rate increase again” and added “amateur participation in its current form at future Festivals will be under material threat should further incidents occur”.

Amateur jockeys are still a very important part of the fabric of jump racing and there will surely continue to be races for them at the Festival. But whether the National Hunt Chase will be one is a question that those in authority will now consider.