Brick loss for Pipe in Trophy

Little Brick, the horse

backed to win £2million

in next month’s Grand

National, was put down

on Tuesday after breaking

a shoulder in the William

Hill Trophy.

The death of the David

Pipe-trained gelding,

the only equine fatality

on the opening day of

the Festival, took the

gloss off the trainer’s

first win at the meeting

with Gaspara.

His father, 15-time

champion Martin, said:

"Sadly, Little Brick had to

be put down which is a

terrible loss to all of us."

Little Brick had been cut

from 100-1 to 14-1 for the

National as money, much

linked to his Scottish

owner Thomas Barr,

poured on him.

Equine welfare is in the

spotlight at the Festival

after 10 horses lost their

lives at the 2006

meeting. But threats of

demonstrations by

animal rights groups

failed to materialise.