Shark Hanlon reacts to video of his horsebox pulling dead horse in trailer

John ‘Shark’ Hanlon has apologised for any distress caused over a video posted online which shows one of his horseboxes pulling a dead horse uncovered in a trailer through an Irish village.

The trainer, who has enjoyed incredible success in recent years with bargain buy Hewick, says the incident happened a couple of months ago and that a tarp covering the horse’s corpse came undone while the animal was being transported to a licensed animal-disposal facility.

He said in a statement to the Irish Mirror: “All of the horses in my yard are very well cared for. Unfortunately, one of our horses died in his sleep and like all deceased animals it had to be transported to a licensed animal-disposal facility. Regrettably, while in transit, a tarp covering the horse came undone. It is never pleasant to see a deceased animal, and I’m sorry for any distress this may have caused.”

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Hanlon, who hails from Bagenalstown in Co Carlow, has held a training licence since 2006 and has enjoyed great success in recent years with horses purchased for little money.

He landed his first Grade 1 at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday in 2021 with Skyace, a horse he purchased for just £600. And he has enjoyed a number of big race wins since with stable star Hewick, who cost only €850.

The nine-year-old won the Galway Plate in the summer of 2022 before landing the American Grand National at Far Hills later that year. But his biggest win to date came in the King George at Kempton last St Stephen’s Day when he landed the Grade 1 feature at odds of 12/1.

He finished third behind Fastorslow and dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup last month before being beaten by just a length and a half into second by favourite Losange Bleu in the Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil in Paris 17 days later.

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