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GOLDEN SILVER


Golden Silver dies after Dial-A-Bet Chase fall

By James Burn 3:53PM 27 DEC 2011 GOLDEN SILVER, the winner of three Grade 1 races including the 2009 Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase, died on Tuesday following a fall in this year's race at Leopardstown.

Trained by Willie Mullins for Violet O'Leary, the nine-year-old chased the leaders in the 2m1f contest, but took a crashing fall at the fifth fence.


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Golden Silver career profile
Jockey Paul Townend, who rode the son of Mansonnien, was stood down for the rest of the Leopardstown card and taken to hospital.

Paying tribute, Mullins said: "He will be sorely missed in our yard because he was one of our great servants. He was a character too and all the girls in our place loved him and anyone could ride him.

"He was very classy, as all those big-race victories showed."

Formerly in the care of Hubert Hosselet, Golden Silver joined Mullins in 2008 and was soon off the mark for his new trainer, winning a beginners' chase at Naas.

He then landed the Grade 1 Arkle Novice Chase in January 2009.

His next top-level success came in the Dial-A-Bet and he also added the Champion Chase at the 2010 Punchestown festival to his cv.

Golden Silver, who won £590,323 in prize-money, never really fired in three visits to the Cheltenham Festival but enjoyed a great association with Townend. The pair combined 19 times for ten victories, including the three Grade 1s.

"He hit the top and I'd say he broke his neck when he hit the ground, it was pretty sickening and fairly awful to watch," said Townend. "Golden Silver was good to me and I'll miss him."




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