LAST Sunday in Galway, Norman Lee lost a horse he rated as the best he ever had.

During a handicap chase on the final day of the Festival, Sole Pretender broke his leg just below his fetlock joint, most likely from a collision with another horse after the second last fence.

Lee spoke to The Irish Field this week to express his gratitude to the many people who have sent him messages of support, and he also wanted to pay tribute to his once-in-a-lifetime horse.

“We have had a lot of messages and support from owners and friends,” he said. “This is the tough side of the game. It is very tough on everyone. He had a great owner and the staff looked after him so well. He was the best horse we ever had anything to do with. Very honest and very straightforward. It’s just very unfortunate how it ended.

“He brought us to Cheltenham three times and was third on the first occasion. The horse that was second that day (Ash Tree Meadow) won the Galway Plate last week and we travelled over with him. Sole Pretender won seven feature races, a Grade 3 hurdle, he won listed races, he ran well in two Galway Hurdles, he was an exceptional horse.”

In the aftermath of last Sunday’s race, Sole Pretender’s jockey Robbie Geoghegan was hit with a 50-day ban for not pulling up his mount when the injury occurred. Lee shares a widely-held view that his jockey was harshly treated.

“Robbie didn’t realise the injury the horse had,” said the trainer. “Robbie loved that horse the same as the rest of us. It is not my place to comment on the suspension but, in my mind, I would rather if the whole thing died away.

“We have lost our good horse. I don’t hold it against Robbie or anybody for that matter. It was an unlucky incident, he clashed legs with another horse and that was it. It’s a very sad thing but it is not anybody’s fault. Nobody wanted that horse to get hurt.

“The punishment is very severe and Robbie definitely didn’t mean any malice. He thought it was something minor and it just escalated very quickly. Nobody set out to hurt this horse. He was minded like a Ferrari. He was our everything.”

Looking ahead, Lee is optimistic. “We have a nice team of horses that we are building up. We are looking out for the next Sole Pretender. We haven’t found him yet. These injuries seem to only happen to the good ones.”