Racing at Bellewstown was abandoned for a second consecutive day on Wednesday after a horse slipped during the sixth race, prompting stewards to call off the final two contests on safety grounds.
The second day of Bellewstown's 300th anniversary fixture, which was over jumps, had been cleared to go ahead after the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) conducted a preliminary investigation. The early races passed without incident, but a horse slipping on the bend in the sixth race led to the remaining races being abandoned.
Tuesday's incidents
On Tuesday, the course's Flat fixture was halted after two races when Ireland's champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, who will be out of action for a number of weeks, took a heavy fall in the opening race and had to be taken to hospital.
Two further riders came down in the delayed second race. Both Adam Caffrey and Ben Coen walked away unhurt, but officials then made the call to abandon the remainder of the card.
Wednesday's sixth-race incident
A stewards inquiry heard that Simon Torrens, who was riding Garrick Painter, slipped up approximately four furlongs from home. Torrens stated there had been contact with the horse on his inside, but he added that the cause of the fall was that the ground had moved from underneath his mount, causing it to slip up.
Stewards' decision
A statement from the IHRB on X said: "The Raceday Stewards reviewed an incident in Race 6 involving Garrick Painter, ridden by Simon Torrens, where Garrick Painter slipped up.
"The Raceday Stewards met with a delegation of Riders, the IHRB Clerk of the Course, representatives of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association and the Racecourse Manager.
"Having reviewed the footage and considered the observations, the Raceday Stewards determined that in circumstances where they cannot be satisfied that racing should continue due to safety concerns, it is with deep reluctance, they decided that there was no option but to abandon the remainder of the fixture under the provisions of Rule 10."
