Jockey Kaiya Fraser was bitten on the leg by a loose horse in a 'crazy' incident before a race at Ascot on Saturday, yet still managed to win the race on his own mount, Dr Rascal.
Attack by Mr Twig
Fraser was riding Dr Rascal, a first-time winner for trainer Oliver Cole, in a novice race for two-year-olds. As the pair waited to be loaded into the starting stalls, another runner, Mr Twig, escaped from handlers after becoming unruly. The horse lunged at Fraser, sinking its teeth into his thigh and pulling him to the ground. Fraser's mount, Dr Rascal, tried to get away, causing the jockey to fall off.
Mr Twig was withdrawn from the race. Fraser was checked by medics and deemed fit to remount Dr Rascal, who had been caught, and then steered the 4-1 chance to a second career success.
Jockey's account
“Michael Bell’s horse (Mr Twig) was messing about in the stalls and they’ve pulled him out, but as they’ve pulled him out of the gates he’s got loose and run around and then out of nowhere grabbed a hold of my thigh,” Fraser said on Sunday. “He didn’t give me a chance and my horse got a bit nervous after that and kind of ran off and he got loose. Michael Bell’s horse gave me a sore leg and it’s still a bit sore now. It was a crazy couple of minutes but luckily we were able to get back in the stalls and go and win the race.”
Speaking immediately after the race, he said: “He actually grabbed a good bit of my thigh. He bit me, pulled me off the horse. Mr Bell owes me another pair of breeches.”
Successful weekend
Fraser enjoyed a red-letter weekend in Berkshire, with a win on Friday meaning he was successful on three of his four mounts at the track over two days. The young rider has notched 32 winners this term and is making the most of budding relationships with key trainers.
“It’s always special to ride a winner at Ascot, let alone two and on a Saturday as well,” continued Fraser. “I was delighted but I was going into the weekend knowing I had some great chances and luckily I’ve had a great weekend and everyone is happy. I’ve got to ride some nice horses over the last few days.”
He added: “It’s going well this season and I’ve got a lot of great connections thanks to my agent James Forrest and I’m getting put up on some nice horses. Harry Eustace has been my boss for over three years now and I like to think we have a great relationship and I also have a great relationship with Rebecca Menzies who started using me when I was an apprentice, and I ride the majority of hers.”
