Heartbreak as horse who made history at Cheltenham dies in retirement, aged 10

Langer Dan, the record-breaking racehorse who won back-to-back Coral Cups, has died aged 10.

Colm Donlon’s much-loved gelding won the 2023 and 2024 Coral Cup at Cheltenham Festival and had won £281,952 in prize money, before his career was cut short last spring owing to an “unexplainable heart condition”.

Today (9 January) his trainer Dan Skelton announced that Langer Dan died yesterday from the same heart problem.

“We are saddened to say that we lost Langer Dan suddenly yesterday to the heart condition he was diagnosed with in February last year,” said Dan.

“He enjoyed a wonderful, well-deserved retirement and was thoroughly spoiled by Amber Blythe who rode him during his time in training.”

Langer Dan won six of his 27 runs, finished second on four occasions and third three times. Most of these runs were with Harry Skelton, Dan’s brother. He had been due to run in the Stayers Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, but was declared a non-runner owing to a respiratory problem – which was found to be a “secondary effect of his heart not working as efficiently as it should”.

At the time Dan said: “We’re quite lucky he gave us that indication as his heart rate was never raised and there were no other signs at all. The vets diagnosed a heart problem after further investigation with a heart scanner and it came as a big shock to us all.”

Dan thanked Colm Donlon “for his devotion to Langer Dan both during his racing career and throughout his retirement”.

“We will never forget what he achieved on the racecourse and he will be greatly missed by all,” he said.

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