York's May meeting was delayed on Thursday after a horse flipped over and got his head stuck in a hedge. The six-year-old Galeron, trained by Charlie Hills, was heading out onto the track to take part in the £70,000 Hambleton Handicap under apprentice Jack Callan.
The gelding became upset while exiting the parade ring, reared and fell backwards into the adjacent hedge in front of racegoers. Track staff arrived to erect a screen around the horse, with vets helping to free Galeron. The race was held up by 10 minutes before he was released and able to walk to the veterinary unit for further checks.
ITV reporter Rishi Persad detailed the incident, saying: “There’s been a pretty nasty incident involving Galeron who was exiting the paddock on the way to the racecourse. He reared up and fell into the hedge adjacent to that little exit. The horse has managed to get his head stuck in the hedge. He has been sedated. They are trying to adjust the position of the railings to release him comfortably.”
The efforts proved successful as Galeron was back on his feet and able to be led away. Jockey Callan said: “It’s just a bit of a freak accident. He got a little bit agitated. He just sort of flipped over. Luckily we are both okay and that’s the main thing. The bush sort of softened his landing but it also meant he was stuck in the same place for a little bit longer than we would have liked. The horse comes first and everyone has done a fantastic job to get him out and back up.”
Galeron was a non-runner in the race, which was won by the Saffie Osborne-ridden Maybe Not.
