Incident leads to calls for changes to stop race protocol

Changes to Britain's stop-race protocol have been called for by participants in a November 9 race in which horses narrowly avoided colliding with a row of starting boxes left stranded on the track due to a broken tractor.

Quick-acting jockeys were able to take evasive action to avoid disaster at Chelmsford, alerted to the unexpected presence of the pits by the frantic flag-waving of the starter, who had run down the track to the finish turn to alert the riders had been made aware.

Despite approaching the homestretch at a speed approaching 40 miles per hour, the horses and jockeys were able to advance about 100 yards before reaching the obstacle, which was stuck on the track between the two and one-eighth mile marker.

In a statement released after the race, Chelmsford said the incident was “unprecedented” and he was “deeply relieved” that no one was harmed. It added: “Although the racecourse was not directly responsible for what happened, we are fully aware of our role as the racecourse venue.”

Jane Chapple-Hyam, who was saddling Salamanca in the handicap said that the tractor used to pull the boxes off the track after the start “did not want to go into gear” and that officials “did not have enough time” to send someone to stop the riders when the horses Inside, the backs were straight.

Harry Davies who rode Intricacy and Daniel Kubler who trained Andaleep Working with his wife Claire, both expressed a desire to change the stop-race system to ensure drivers could be warned more quickly to reduce the possibility of a repeat of Saturday's events.

Davies said: “I’m very grateful that everyone was able to arrive safely – that’s the big relief. As we rounded the bend I saw the flag and all the jockeys were shouting to get going so fast.” As far as you can go, because it only took about half an eighth of a mile to get to where the stalls were.

“The biggest thing we noticed was that there was no one standing with a flag on the backstretch and we were all a bit confused as to why that was. In hindsight we all said that should be the case.” In the future there will be races like this that revolve around the start.

“It's a miracle that something didn't happen and they were all good horses with good teeth that reacted quickly to us. Younger or more inexperienced horses tend to run with increased blood and can't always be pulled up as quickly, so we were lucky in many ways.

Kübler said: “If there are races where there are two laps, do you need someone outside the pits who can warn the jockeys earlier?”

“Other countries have much clearer warning signs. James (Finch), who owns Andaleep, has horses in France and they have sirens and flashing lights to alert jockeys, for example.”

“Ultimately it's hard to blame anyone, but the sport needs to be as safe as possible and there are definitely elements that can be improved when it comes to warning drivers when something is wrong. That's the crux of it all.” This.”

The race was canceled and race officials interviewed several participants to find out why the stands were blocked. A report has been forwarded to the BHA where further investigations will be carried out into how the stop race protocol was implemented and what other factors may have contributed to the incident.