The Cheltenham Racing Festival is over for another year, and as punters and racing correspondents mull over the surprise win of Imperial Commander, readers should spare a thought for the real losers of the Festival.

On the first day of racing, Irish horse Casey Jones was killed and, on the second, fellow Irish horse, Citizen Vic, broke his neck while jumping the notoriously hazardous second last fence.

On the final day of the meeting, Izita Star and Fairyland, both seven-year-old mares, were killed. Vets struggled for an hour to save the stricken Izita Star after her fall, only for her to succumb to severe spinal injuries. In the afternoon's penultimate race, the chestnut mare Fairyland fell heavily. Her death brought to four the total number of fatalities at the four-day meeting.

This is the highest number of Festival deaths since 2006, when 11 horses perished.

There has been a deliberate and cynical silence about the equine casualties from those involved in the event. Animal Aid will continue to expose the deaths at Cheltenham as well as the 220-plus equine fatalities that occur annually on British racecourses. Our Race Horse Deathwatch makes grim but essential reading for anyone who truly cares about these beautiful animals: www.horsedeathwatch. com.

Fiona Pereira Campaigner Animal Aid, Tonbridge