The Hong Kong Jockey Club said Thursday it is investigating a serious pile-up during a race the day before that saw two horses euthanised, several jockeys injured, and left spectators in tears.
The five-horse pile-up, one of the worst accidents in the city’s recent racing history, stunned some 15,000 spectators at the Happy Valley race course, local media reported.
“I couldn’t breathe for a few moments, it was such a gut-wrenching scene,” spectator Eddie Olivero, who was at the course with his son, told The Standard newspaper.
“I have been coming to the races for 40 years and this is the first time I have witnessed such an incident,” Olivero said.
Head of the HKJC Veterinary Clinical Services Christopher Riggs told AFP two of the horses involved had been euthanised due to the accident.
“The horses had to be put down humanely because unfortunately they suffered severe injuries as a consequence,” Riggs said.
A Jockey Club spokesman told AFP that all the riders involved in the five-horse pile up would be interviewed to find out the cause of the event that led to the injuries of three jockeys, including promising young rider Vincent Ho and Howard Cheng, who were hospitalised.
According to the HKJC spokesman the accident happened when race horse, Fortune Together, fell near the 600 metres (1968.5 feet) mark before the other four approached leading to a pile up.
The Club said the incident was unrelated to recent discovery of banned drugs zilpaterol in horse feed.
“This unfortunate incident has no connection or relevance to the banned substance zilpaterol,” Yeung said.
Seventeen horses from stables of three Hong Kong trainers tested positive for the banned drug earlier this month.
Tests found that two feed products were contaminated with the prohibited substance, used to produce muscle growth in livestock but would be harmful on horses.
Horse racing was introduced during the former British colony’s colonial days and thousands of gamblers still hit the race courses twice a week during the racing season.
Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city was returned by the British to the Chinese in 1997.
Jockey Club probes horse pile up
