Chelmsford race voided as stalls stranded on track and horses pulled up by jockeys
The race had to be suspended due to the inability to remove the starting block from the track.
It was clear something was wrong when officials tried to wave the flag on the field near Chelmsford’s home run on Saturday.
Nine runners and riders were traveling in excess of 35 mph but had to stop suddenly to avoid stalling, which was still on the track at the entrance to the straightaway.
All horses and jockeys are safe and the race is void.
Jane Chapple-Hyam, who trains Salamanca runners, told the Racing Post: “When they load the horses into the stables they turn off the tractor and I believe when the horse jumps out of the tractor , the tractor wouldn’t go into gear, so they couldn’t get it off the track.
“They didn’t have enough time to get the flagman down the back straight. It was pretty scary.”
Jockey Alistair Rawlinson, who was on board the Penzance, believed all the riders involved should be commended for stopping safely and avoiding any incident.
“We were sitting second so were one of the first on the scene – it could have been a disaster,” he said.
“The lads showed great horsemanship and were able to stop at short notice as we were about to hit top gear.”
A statement from the racecourse said: “The safety of our competitors is always our top priority.
“We are deeply relieved that no injuries were sustained to any of the jockeys, horses or staff involved. Tonight’s incident is unprecedented in Chelmsford’s 10 years of racing, although the racecourse has expressed concern over the events that occurred There is no direct responsibility but we are fully aware that we act as a racecourse hosting races.
“We are committed to working with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and our partners to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that this type of incident does not happen again.
“Reimbursement forms will be arranged for affected connections and they will be contacted with further information.”
The stewards’ report read: “As parking spaces could not be removed from the track, an investigation was carried out into the parking flags deployed during the final stages of the race.
“The inquiry was attended by the racing director, groundskeepers and trainee clerks, the starter, jockeys Billy Lownan and Harry Davis, the stall crew leader and the tractor driver.
“As all competitors had parked, the referee was unable to declare the result, so the race was declared void and a report forwarded to BHA headquarters.”
