Tragedy struck owner J P McManus again yesterday when promising hurdler Cardinal Hill was put down after emergency colic surgery.

The Noel Meade-trained gelding was found to be uneasy on Sunday evening. A vet was called and he sent the horse to Troytown Equine Hospital in Kildare, but, despite every effort being made, Cardinal Hill was put down.

A post-mortem revealed that he had suffered a rupture of the caccum with a secondary displacement of the large colon.

He is the third horse that McManus has lost in the last two months. Budalus suffered fatal injuries when falling at the last flight at Aintree in April and Joe Mac collapsed and died after a race at Punchestown three weeks later.