O'Neill sadness at Synchronised loss Jonjo O'Neill has spoken of the sadness pervading through his stables following the death of Synchronised in the John Smith's Grand National. The Gloucestershire trainer was deeply upset at the loss of this year's Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, who fell at Becher's Brook and carried on riderless until he fell again and broke a leg. O'Neill, owner JP McManus and jockey Tony McCoy released a statement about their feelings a few days after the race, and now O'Neill has taken part in an interview with BBC One's Countryfile programme, to be broadcast at 1825 BST on Sunday evening. Jackdaws Castle's star attraction also won the Welsh National and the Lexus Chase, and O'Neill said: "He was a super horse and when that happens everybody is really upset about it - it goes right through the yard. "It's like losing part of your family. But life goes on and we've got to pull ourselves together and crack on because we've got lots of other nice horses and the show goes on, so that's it." O'Neill, who won the race with McManus and McCoy two years earlier through Don't Push It, does not condemn the National or the changes made to the course already. He said: "They'll look into it again and hopefully if they can make more improvements they will do because everyone in the game wants the race to be properly organised and they're doing everything they possibly can."
