A renowned racecourse has been imposed with a $250,00 fine, followed by a horrific accident. In 2019, Mikaela Claridge, a 22-year-old jockey, died when she was thrown away from a horse during a training session at the Cranbourne Training Centre. This incident created terror among the witnesses. Since then, there has been a court session ongoing that resulted in the disbursement.
It was in August 2019 when Claridge was doing her routine pre-dawn training session at the Cranbourne Centre in Melbourne, that the incident took place.
US jockey fell prey to negligence
7 News covered the terrifying accident at the Cranbourne farm. Reportedly, the horse threw Claridge off after getting frightened while riding in the dark. Unfortunately, she died at the scene. However, the court found the negligence of the authority as the prime reason. Thus, they have been slapped with a fine of $250,000, as per 7 News. The charge was of “failing to ensure that persons other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the conduct of its undertaking.”
Nevertheless, this incident caught the attention of a WorkSafe inquiry and they pointed out some terrible laxity on behalf of the farm. Reportedly, the running track had pooled water, and had overhanging tree branches on the way. However, most importantly the field lacked light even in daylight. Taking these factors into consideration, the director of WorkSafe, Narelle Beer found the Cranbourne authority to be guilty.
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“Although some safety measures such as changing operating hours may seem minor, a failure to implement them can lead to unimaginably painful consequences”, shared Beer. Hopefully, with the compensation on their head, the authority might change their safety measures to prevent future incidents. However, it’s not only the jockeys, the horse sometimes had to face terrible accidents too.
The ride faces dangers too
Teo Nugent and his stallion Florescent Star were racing at the 1200-metre Abell Stakes when they met with a tricky tackle that injured both of them. After completing the 5th loop, Nugent hopped for the 6th one when the horse clipped the heels of the other runner in front of him. Losing control, Florescent Star fell off the ground along with Nugent.
However, though Nugent had a c1 fracture and was unconscious after this, his horse had to fight for its life. Even after hospitalization, there was no hope left for Florescent Star.
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The sport might have a huge fanbase based on spine-chilling norms, but lives are always at stake. Let’s hope that the management of the sport will soon come up with a fruitful solution to prevent accidents.
