Grand National jockey explains why he continued to whip horse with broken back to finish line

The jockey who whipped Gold Dancer to victory before it was put down has issued an explanation for forcing the injured horse over the finish line.

Gold Dancer, ridden by jockey Paul Townend, won the second race at Ladies Day at Aintree on Friday. However, the horse was one of two to die over the weekend.

Immediately after the race, vets uncovered that the seven-year-old horse had broken its back and ultimately had to be put down.

Townend competed the following day at the Grand National, riding I Am Maximus to win the iconic race at Aintree.

But he courted controversy for whipping Gold Dancer over the finish line when it appeared to be struggling.

Gold Dancer was put down after the race at Ladies Day. Image: Getty

A steward's enquiry took place, but it was decided that Townend would not face any punishment - despite backlash and a strong statement from leading animal rights organisation PETA.

Townend has not issued a statement, but James Given, the British Horseracing Authority’s director of equine regulation, safety and equine welfare, revealed that he told him the horse "felt normal".

"What happened with the horse I’m sure everyone’s seen, he’s slipped on landing after the last, his hind quarters and legs went to the right-hand side, but he popped up very quickly and then galloped away," he told Racing TV.

"I was in the enquiry when, correctly, the stewards were looking into what happened, and I was able to watch the replay from the front and the back, and the horse stayed as straight as an arrow, so there’s no indication at that point that there was anything amiss.

"He [Townend] said all a jockey could do is go on how the horse feels, and the horse felt normal to him.

"It was only when he crossed the finishing line, the finishing line is slightly immaterial here, it’s actually when he was turning left and was when going down from a canter to a trot, a canter is a smoother, rolling action to a trot, a more of a stumpy action, and only when that happened that he felt something change in the horse’s action that was amiss. He pulled the horse straight up, dismounted, and let the vets attend the horse."

He added that "there was no hanging" and the horse had stayed "absolutely straight".

Willie Mullins, who was Gold Dancer’s trainer, said that Townend felt the horse was "fine" going through the winning post and did not notice any issues until when he pulled on the rein to turn on the bend.

He stated: "I haven’t spoken to Paul about the stewards' enquiry, but he said to me that the horse galloped through the line fine and went down to a slow pace canter.

"Just as he was turning, he went into a trot, and that was the first he felt anything. He felt the horse was fine going through the winning post, pulling up in a canter.

"You have to turn the bend, he pulled on the rein to turn, and next thing the horse lost his action. He’s assuming whatever happened, happened there."

Townend's win with I Am Maximus was worth £500,000 in prize money, to be shared out by the owner to the jockey, trainer and stable staff with their agreed cut.