LAMBOURN trainer Oliver Sherwood paid tribute to Grand National-winning horse Many Clouds after he collapsed and died following his shock defeat of Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The Trevor Hemmings-owned nine-year-old – who also won the Hennessy Gold Cup in 2014 – stunned this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite, before tragically dying after the race.

Sherwood said: “We’ve got to look forward and not look back. He’s been the horse of a lifetime and I always said he would die for you. He’s died for me and the team doing what he does best.

“He wanted to win that race, he was beaten and then fought back in the last 50 yards to win.

“It’s sad for Trevor and my team at Rhonehurst, I’ve been in the game 32 years and horses like that don’t come along very often.

“You’ve got to enjoy it and it happens to us all, we all go one day. We’ve got to be philosophical and celebrate the Hennessy and National wins and that was almost a career-best performance.”

He concluded: “He captured the nation, but that is our sport – it makes us love it and hate it.”