Altior, who has won four times at the Cheltenham Fesitval, is fighting for his life with reports emerging that the former two-time Champion Chaser is suffering from a “severe” bout of colic.
Altior Fighting For His Life With “Severe” Colic
Having won the 2018 and 2019 Queen Mother Champion Chase, Altior turned into a firm favourite for punters during a golden era of 2m chasing that saw the Nicky Henderson-trained horse win 15 of his 18 career starts over the bigger obstacles before retiring in 2021.
Now aged 13, he lives with former Henderson stable jockey Mick Fitzgerald, but it was reported today that he’s on the critical list after getting a severe bout of colic, which was discovered on Saturday morning.
Henderson told his Unibet blog “We are all praying and doing everything humanely possible to ensure he can pull through.”
“As a consequence, he was taken to the equine hospital very very quickly where he had to undergo a four-hour operation to remove a considerable amount of his intestine. It was a big operation and not straightforward”
“On Sunday morning, he was still extremely uncomfortable so had to undergo further surgery due to complications. There is some reasonably positive news in the fact that this morning [Wednesday] he is stable, but still critical.”
“We are all praying and doing everything humanely possible to ensure he can pull through and continue living life as he should.”
As well as winning two Queen Mother Champion Chases at the Cheltenham Festival, Altior also won the 2017 Arkle Chase and 2016 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the meeting, plus recorded 10 Grade One victories during his career.
What Is Equine Colic?
Colic is a term that is used to describe a symptom of abdominal pain – which, when relating to horses, is usually caused by problems in the gastrointestinal tract.
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