Dodger Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Just got in from work and read this...damn, it sounds awful. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/9395743.stm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yidstar Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Thought it was a poor show of channel 4 to show the footage of what happened at Newbury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mileni4uk Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Glad I wasn't watching today. Felt awful when I heard what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Bet every course in the land will be digging up any cables that pass under a paddock next week' date=' awful day, just watching it unfold was unreal![/quote'] i suppose its the same in many places across the courses, one quote even said the stable girl felt it when she walked across then again that could have travelled through the horse ? The cable must have been damaged for this to occur though? 2 trains of thought on this i suppose, they didnt show the horses fall down but did show the incident when it happened and the 2nd one clearly in distress. Not sure about how i feel to be honest, apart from feeling so sorry for all the connections of the horses involved and of course, the horses themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRat Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Apparently the lads and girls felt shocks when they touched them after they were down Francombe explained well about horses feeling the electricity more due to their front and back legs being further apart, where humans are close together so feel less Can't explain it now properly but was quite interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Apparently the lads and girls felt shocks when they touched them after they were down Francombe explained well about horses feeling the electricity more due to their front and back legs being further apart, where humans are close together so feel less Can't explain it now properly but was quite interesting yep heard that interview on C4 also joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRat Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Hearing reports it is definately a cable found underneath section of the paddock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Shocking, disgusting, vile, vulgar, horrendous, putrid, unacceptable, unforgivable, etrocious, rotten day for horse racing... Newbury Racecourse Officials have a lot to answer, and the trainers should be seeking huge compensation :$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabbythecat Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Thought it was a poor show of channel 4 to show the footage of what happened at Newbury. Who ever decided to allow that to be shown should receive their P45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Racing was abandoned at Newbury on Saturday when two horses collapsed and died under freak circumstances in the paddock ahead of the first race. The executive of the Berkshire course decided human and equine safety was paramount as they were unable to ascertain the precise cause of the incident. Fenix Two and Marching Song were about to be mounted by their jockeys on the grass on the far side of the parade ring when they fell to the ground. Speculation from the connections of the stricken horses was that they may have suffered from some form of electric shock. Kid Cassidy recovered after briefly collapsing but was withdrawn at the start of the Bet totepool On 0800 221 221 Novices' Hurdle. The Merry Giant was also affected and took part in the race, finishing tailed off, and was reported to be "badly traumatised". As the two dead animals lay under covers in the hastily cordoned-off area of the paddock, the event actually took place around 20 minutes late but confusion reigned and after the horses were taken to the adjoining pre-parade ring to be unsaddled, a decision was made to call the meeting off. Officials were unwilling to offer any absolute reasons for the incident and post-mortems will be carried out on the horses, but the police and the electricity board were informed. Newbury's joint managing director Stephen Higgins said: "Ultimately we are guessing, but at the end of the day horses are very important but people are more important and we didn't want them accessing the area in question until we know what the issue is. "We still don't know what happened, and when we do we will let everybody know. "It is the racecourse's decision (to abandon) and we take responsibility for what happens on the racecourse." The chairman Christopher Spence added: "It's a nightmare for everybody. We can't be certain what it is, we all think it's electric, but we don't know. "It's easy to say carry on and hope for the best, but just hoping is not something we should or could do. "We've looked at the cables and we couldn't see any damage and no work has been carried out on the paddock since the last meeting." On a busy Saturday when important trials for the Cheltenham Festival were due to take place, it was particularly distressing for the two horses to have their painful deaths played out in front of so many people. Electrocution was the general consensus and Andy Turnell, trainer of Marching Song, and his assistant and part-owner Graham Thorner were particularly upset. "It looks like they've been electrocuted," said Turnell. "My fellow seemed perfectly all right and I was about to leg him up but he just went straight down." Thorner went on: "I was very fond of him and he had great potential. "To a layman with no evidence, you would say it was electrical. The lad who was with him was saying 'I'm getting an electric shock off this horse'. "As as a layman you would say that is what happened. The horses were kicking out at something and it seemed to be in an area leaving the paddock. "It can't be coincidence four horses have done the same thing and two have died, all in the same area. Three people said they were getting a shock off the horse. I hope we find out what it was but it doesn't bring the horses back." Jonjo O'Neill, trainer of Fenix Two, said: "Mine reared up and we couldn't get him back, it was like he was stuck to the ground. It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life." Nicky Henderson said of Kid Cassidy: "About a minute before it happened, Kid Cassidy was walking in the same corner of the paddock. I had my back turned but my daughter said 'your horse has gone down'. "He just suddenly collapsed behind but as he did it he danced back and got back on the rubber track. I legged AP McCoy up and sent him down as he is a bit keen. "I went down to the start and he had gone down like a bolted rabbit so there was no way I was going to take a chance. He wasn't distressed and the horses had their hearts checked. They were all all right." Henderson had his own conclusions, adding: "I think you'd only really find out when they've done a post-mortem but it would appear to me it could be (electrocution) as it was all happening in the one area. "They were all on the grass, and once they got on it, they definitely weren't able to get off it. "It was a one-off, a completely unique situation. I've been bashing away at it (training) for 32 years and I've never seen anything like it. "It seems to me Kid Cassidy was very, very lucky, because he was very close to being a third (death)." Representing The Merry Giant's trainer Rebecca Curtis was her partner Gearoid Costello, who said: "He's badly traumatised and the vets are monitoring him at the moment. "The horse went down on his hind legs in the paddock but went down to the start. I went down and asked to take him out, but the vets said he was OK. However, I regret running him. "The chain on his lead rein broke, but it wasn't scorched." The stipendiary steward on the day, Paul Barton, was asked about rumours a lead rein on one of the dead horses looked burned as if electrocuted. He said: "One of the reasons we couldn't continue was because of all the speculation. "The lead rein could have snapped if it was stood on by another horse when it was on the ground. "The rein will go away for forensic examination to establish what happened to it and we will have an inquiry with the trainers of the horses, the handlers, the veterinary surgeons and representatives from the executive. "We certainly won't get the results of the post-mortems today and I doubt we will be making any more statements." Barton was also asked why the first race took place, responding: "They were extremely unusual circumstances. We were reacting to things as they occurred at the time - we didn't know if the horses had had heart attacks or what had happened. "The horses were examined by the veterinary surgeons before the race but after the race, as we got more information, the decision-making process changed." Newbury's long-serving clerk of the course Richard Osgood was asked whether there was any electrical cabling under the paddock. "As far as I know, I don't know of any," he said. "Bear in mind this place has been here for 100 years so maybe there could be some very old cables, but I don't know." The Southern Electricity Board later arrived to carry out a thorough investigation of the paddock area. The attending racecourse vets were interviewed and one of them, Jamie O'Gorman, warned: "The post-mortem will certainly be able to rule out several other causes of death, but there is a distinct possibility it will come back inconclusive." O'Gorman's colleague Tom Campbell added: "I went to Jonjo's horse Fenix Two and tried to restrain him while he was on the ground, stop him seizuring and injuring people. "While he was down and on his side there was an unpleasant sensation touching him, like an electrical stimulus. It was worse when I went up to his ears where he was sweating and warmer. "I tried to administer some drugs to him, but unfortunately he died a couple of minutes later." Racegoers will be given a 100% refund while the British Horseracing Authority are likely to meet on Monday to decide whether the big races, including the totesport Trophy Hurdle and Aon Chase, are to be rescheduled. A full stewards' inquiry was held following the incident, after which Higgins said: "Having suffered two unexplained equine fatalities in the parade ring, for equine and human safety reasons, we took the decision to abandon racing today until the cause could be established. "We have now launched a full investigation into today's events. There is speculation that electricity may have been involved, which the Southern Electricity Board will be investigating. "Newbury Racecourse extends its condolences to the connections of Fenix Two and Marching Song." Professor Tim Morris, director of Equine Science and Welfare for the British Horseracing Authority, confirmed a full investigation is under way. He said: "We have launched a full investigation into the events before the first race. "Whilst there are suspicions that an electrical fault was the cause and this is being looked into by the racecourse and relevant authorities, it is important that we investigate other possible causes. "Both horses have been sent for post-mortem examinations, and samples from both horses, and from the other two horses involved in the incident, have been taken and will be analysed. "We will also be testing a sample of the water supply and have secured and will review all of the CCTV footage from the racecourse stables and footage from the parade ring itself at the time. "We have gathered evidence and statements at the racecourse from the connections involved with the incident, including trainers, jockeys, stable staff and owners, the racecourse and BHA veterinary officers, and the racecourse executive including the health and safety officer." A spokeswoman for Newbury racecourse later confirmed that a cable had been found under the paddock. She said: "The Southern Electric Board came in and did an investigation and found a cable. "At this stage we cannot confirm if that definitely was the reason for the incident today." 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Mirage Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Sad day. I seem to remember reading of a similar incident happened in football, Africa i think, where there were electric shocks felt from the grass and players collapsed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayalexander Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Re: Scenes at Newbury... Apparently, Hobbs didn't want the meeting abandoned as his horses needed a run! Shameful act Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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