In a matter of seconds a race at Windsor turned into mayhem as a blindfolded horse smashed through the barriers at the racecourse resulting in the race being voided.
Master Jack reared up, getting on his hind legs in the stalls before the gates opened.
Jockey Ryan Kavanagh was holding on to the side inside the stalls as they opened, which usually at that stage the jockey would whip the blindfold off.
Instead Master Jack was free to run out still blindfolded and crashed through barriers in a terrifying turn of events.
Miraculously though, the horse trained by Martin Dunne avoided injury and came out from this unprecedented incident unscathed.
talkSPORT BET Betting Offer – Get up to £35 in Free Bets! – CLAIM HERE*
Beaumadier also looked to be stuck in the stalls as the rest of the field departed out the stalls quickly, a good few seconds ahead of the 4/1 shot.
The jockeys left on the rest of the runners didn’t pull up their horses.
Five jockeys ended up receiving bans of ten days after failing to pull up from the false start.
The false start was signalled by the relevant course worker on the flag but was seemingly ignored by the five jockeys who continued on.
Conor Whitely on board Beaumadier was the only rider to say he saw the flag and heard the whistle, and escaped a ban along with Kavanagh who was left in the stalls.
Sky Sports Racing reviewed the footage directly after the event live at Windsor too.
Host Alex Hammond explained “You could see the flag operator there was blowing a whistle as well, as I could see he held something to his mouth there too.”
You can also hear co-host Seb Sanders exclaiming: “They’re in trouble, they’re in trouble, they’re in trouble”, when looking back at the footage of the false start and flag wavers.
A stewards’ inquiry was of course needed after the incident.
They found the false start was ignored by Jack Dace, Taryn Langley, Jack Doughty, Alec Voikhansky and Tommie Jakes, who all received the same ten-day ban.
Richard Westropp, the chief stipendiary steward, said on Sky Sports Racing: “What happened was the door on stall two [Beaumadier] flapped back as the start was activated, so on the basis of that the starter called a false start. His flag was raised as it should be.
“The recall man, stood right in the middle of the track, waved his flag and blew his whistle. The procedures were followed to a T.
“The jockeys told us in the inquiry that they did not see the recall flag or hear the whistle bar Mr Whiteley on Beaumadier, the horse that activated the false start in the first place.”
Westropp also explained that these jockeys will all be entitled to appeal the suspensions given to them on the racecourse and a hearing will be heard in due course.
The Chief Stipendiary steward added: “Our footage is very clear with the recall man waving his flag in the middle of the track, hence we felt they should have pulled up.”
talkSPORT BET Betting Offer – Get up to £35 in Free Bets! – CLAIM HERE*
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
*18+ New customers. Opt in and bet up to £35 (min £10) on Horse Racing (odds 2/1+) within 7 days. If your first bet loses get your initial stake back, up to £35 in Free Bets for any sports. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Click for T&Cs | GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly