Equestrian News: Riders Face Horrifying Fall in Grueling Horse Racing Accident

The prevailing accidents in horse racing have added fuel to the safety issue of the sport. Just a few weeks earlier, a fateful accident resulted in the loss of three horses’ lives and landed several jockeys and outriders to the hospital. The brazen accident was so disturbing that it took the battle-hardened jockeys in disbelief.

The clipping heels in the crowd of horses remained the prior reason. However, the horse racing incident almost repeated itself last evening in Woodbine Mohawk Park. This time, the harness racing witnessed multiple injuries and possible suspensions from the list. Again, the safety issue faced its lowest hit while the officials remained numb. 

The unexpected jerk in horse racing battle 

On March 30, the New Holland Series finals unfolded with expected fanfare. Resuming after a 7-day break, the contest held multiple races on the same day. However, the unfortunate incident occurred in the eleventh race. As posted by Horse Racing Community’s X-handle- Brigus, the three-year-old gelding, made contact with top-seeded driver Paul Davies and Vis A Vis Bluechip’s wheel in the last leg of the drive. 

That prompted Brigus to fall on the track simultaneously. However, a chain form of accident repeated this time as well on the track. The chasing cart of driver Phil Hudon and four-year-old gelding Holy Jalapeno couldn’t control the suddenness. So stumbling on the situation, they also faced the same result as Brigus and his rider Sylvain Fillon did. However, fortunately, both the equines displayed perfect health despite the fall.

Fillon as well, seemed to be ok whereas Phil Hudon had to rush to the hospital, leaving the track hurriedly. Eventually, Vis A Vis found it hard to avoid the suspension. So, Lamborghini Lou and driver P. Mackenzie earned the top spot. However, the situation displayed a lack of awareness among the riders and trainers even after such repetition. 

The clipping, the stumbling, and the loss of lives 

If the Fonner Park incident raises concern, then the Belmont Park accident this January shook the horse racing world. On January 8, the equines, Where’s Chris, and Constitutionlawyer lost their lives because of an injury they faced on the training track. During the collision between these two horses, the riders Shannon Uske and Emmanuel Colon didn’t receive a scratch. However, in the presence of them, both equines collided with each other.

Later, one trainer, Ray Handal, described the depth of the situation. “It was one of those crazy racetrack things, you do everything you can to be safe and certain things are unavoidable,” he said. However, despite having a clean slate for years, Handal couldn’t avoid the situation. So, the authorities like NYRA and HISA promised to take a thorough report of the situation. However, accidents like those are still at large in the horse racing world. 

Read more: Racehorse Trainer Provides Latest Update on Horses That Miraculously Survived Fatal Kentucky Mishap