Wetherby Racecourse in spotlight after horse fatalities

The racing track of Wetherby (Great-Britain) has to post a sad record. At one single day of racing (October 15th), a total of four horses died during races or had to be put down due to injuries sustained during the races. With this, the number of fatal accidents on this racing track, which was highly critized in the past due to the ground conditions. has increased to nine!

Two three-year old horses (Nut Hand and Miss Gibboa) had to be humanly put down due to a severe lameness at the end of the race (Nut Hand) due to a broken leg due to a fall (Miss Gibboa). The eight-year old gelding Divex and the 11-year old Marrel suffered leg fractures during the Bobby Renton Chase race. During the same race, Tom’s Toybox suffered from a severe tendon injury – the outcome of this injury is still unknwon.

It was the first day of racing since the month of May on the racing track, which has undergone ground condition work for a total amount of approx. 50.000 Pd. Sterling, after there was huge criticism on the ground conditions after the 2008 season.

British racing authorities are probing the circumstances behind the deaths of four racehorses in one day at a meeting in Yorkshire, England.

The incident-plagued track at Wetherby has come under fire from the animal welfare group, Animal Aid.

The group is demanding that the British Horseracing Authority suspends all further racing at Wetherby until an independent evaluation of the ground can be undertaken by specialists.

The track had undergone substantial remedial work, worth £50,000, in the off-season after heavy criticism of the surface during last season’s racing.

Two jockeys have died after falling during races last weekend.

Promising young French jockey Guillaume Javoy died from injuries sustained during a race on Sunday (18 October). The 24-year-old, who had 16 winners this season, picked the ride on racehorse Kahyasia at Le Pin-au-Haras racecourse. Mr Javoy was thrown into a running rail after Kahyasia came to an emergency stop when a horse in front of him ran out at a hurdle. The jockey died later in hospital.

And American jockey Mark Pace died after a fall in Oklahoma on the same day.

Mr Pace, 58, from Devine in Texas, was thrown from his ride Reep What You Sow during the 5 ½ furlong maiden claiming race for fillies and mares on Sunday (18 October). He was riding at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, in the first race of the day when the 60-1 shot Reep What You Sow crashed into the running rail in the backstretch. According to Equibase Co, which keeps data on racing, Mr Pace had only ridden in two thoroughbred races this year, and records do not show him having ridden in another before this year.