Newbury today

SteveM

SteveM

At the Start
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I can’t quite believe what has been taking place. The best guess is that a live underground cable has electrocuted the two horses. Those that kept to the rubber matting seem to be okay.
 
its the awfull centerpiece of what must be one of the worse days ever for fatalities at all tracks

the newbury epsiode is a bizarre one for sure..can't really get my head around the freakness of it tbh
 
Shocking scenes...

In all seriousness, Newbury needs to sort the issue out, apologise and possibly compensate connections and move on. The way some people have been going on in the media and Twitter you'd think this was racing's 9/11.
 
The trainers have been pressing for racing to take place early next week. This must be in great doubt though.
 
Don't see why not, surely will only take minor excavation work to get to the root of the problem and I would imagine it could be fixed reasonably quickly.
 
I think its the fact that the horse's appear to have been electrocuted thats caused the uproar Stan..we know the normal dangers to horses at this game..but for horses to be electrocted in front of people is quite an unpleasant thing isn't it?

things will move on..but this wants looking into very closely ..its not like its an every day occurence..are these cables old?..not maintained/renewed etc
 
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Southern Electric is investigating it. It depends I suppose on whether they can be confident they have certainly identified the cause and how quickly it can be fixed. Newbury won't want to take a chance of it happening again.
 
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My mate was telling me at Leopardstown today that this sort of thing is a regular event in milking parlours in Ireland. A little current going up four legs with a plate as a conductor means there might not have needed to be much of a current to kill the horses. Can anyone explain how the other horses were ok. Was it just one area of the parade ring?
 
It seemed to be the one area although Hendersons horse acted up the opposite side.
Interesting bit in the Racing Post:

Trainer Keith Goldsworthy, who was present at the track for runners later said he had voicedhis concerns about an electrical problem. "At around 1pm the lights in the grandstand were going on and off like a disco and I did report it to the stewards," he said.
 
Gamla Stan said:
In all seriousness, Newbury needs to sort the issue out, apologise and possibly compensate connections and move on. The way some people have been going on in the media and Twitter you'd think this was racing's 9/11.
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Of all the crap that gets spouted on here, this just about takes the biscuit. This isn't some tiny little mishap that can be brushed under the carpet, two horses died in a horrific manner in full view of the crowd and anyone who tunes in to Channel4 racing/Channel4 news/Sky News and no doubt other channels. It was an unfathomable terrible and tragic event that needs to be investigated fully to find out why it happened and thus the possibility of such horrendous scenes not being re-enacted at the next meeting.

The area that was affecting the horses (I say affecting as it has still not been confirmed it was electrocution although it was very likely) was a patch of grass near the entrance/exit to the paddock. When on the rubber matting on the outside of the paddock the horses seemed to be fine, it was when they stepped on the grass that they reacted, and in a very distressing manner.

I suggest, Gamla Stan, that you stop to think about what happened and precisely why the racing world and racing media have reacted in such a way. Then grow up.
 
Was at Lingfield when the ghastly news came in. What Goldsworthy says is interesting as usually when any kind of electrical fritzing goes on, there's a trip switch somewhere which blows the fuses and electrical output is stopped. Let's hope what's gone wrong is located and everything fixed. A bizarre, freakish, and very upsetting event, which I sincerely hope won't put any newbies off racing if they saw it occur. Thank God the handlers or anyone else in the parade ring wasn't electrocuted along with the horses.
 
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Shadow Leader said:
Of all the crap that gets spouted on here, this just about takes the biscuit. This isn't some tiny little mishap that can be brushed under the carpet, two horses died in a horrific manner in full view of the crowd and anyone who tunes in to Channel4 racing/Channel4 news/Sky News and no doubt other channels. It was an unfathomable terrible and tragic event that needs to be investigated fully to find out why it happened and thus the possibility of such horrendous scenes not being re-enacted at the next meeting.

The area that was affecting the horses (I say affecting as it has still not been confirmed it was electrocution although it was very likely) was a patch of grass near the entrance/exit to the paddock. When on the rubber matting on the outside of the paddock the horses seemed to be fine, it was when they stepped on the grass that they reacted, and in a very distressing manner.

I suggest, Gamla Stan, that you stop to think about what happened and precisely why the racing world and racing media have reacted in such a way. Then grow up.
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My point was regarding how the racing industry have over reacted to what is a freak accident with tragic, fatal consequences.

I hate to break it to you but horses die on racecourses in full view of the public every week and they're accidents too. They, at present, don't really get reported by the mainstream press, the more this incident is turned into a national news story, the more other deaths in the sport will. You only need to trawl the usual news sites and social networks to see comments from non racing fans over the issue.

There is no denying this is a terrible accident but the way some of the usual face went on about it, you'd have thought that 40 racegoers were shot by armed gunmen. Newbury need to investigate it, punish those involved in any negligence, compensate and move on. You talk as if someone has deliberately killed these horses in a barbaric act.

It's a freak accident and is only that but if it is constantly played out on news stations, Twitter etc. then racing will yet again be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

So why don't you stop and think about how the outside world will react to this story.
 
Cantoris said:
Can anyone explain how the other horses were ok. Was it just one area of the parade ring?
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It appears that the runners that stayed on the rubber matting of the parade ring were fine, it only became a problem when the horses came off that and went on the turf inside the area where they would usually parade.
 
Gamla Stan said:
So why don't you stop and think about how the outside world will react to this story.
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I would imagine the "outside" world would be pretty disgusted if those involved in the sport did not react with such horror at today's events. I am not sure what how you want us to react?

I really do not see where you are coming from, of course horses die every day or the week on a racecourse but I have never seen anything like this. Whats more it is the thought of what could have happened that is most disturbing.
 
My point Gal is that it was played out in the racing media in the same way as a massacre would have been on BBC News.

People seem to have forgotten that this was only an accident like any other death on a racecourse. I'd have preferred an immediate apology from Newbury followed by a frank investigation from them and the BHA.

It also seems like Newbury handled it appallingly, why run the first race? The pictures of horses corpses covered in sheets on the BBC News website looks great too, where were the screens?
 
Gamla Stan said:
My point Gal is that it was played out in the racing media in the same way as a massacre would have been on BBC News.

People seem to have forgotten that this was only an accident like any other death on a racecourse. I'd have preferred an immediate apology from Newbury followed by a frank investigation from them and the BHA.

It also seems like Newbury handled it appallingly, why run the first race? The pictures of horses corpses covered in sheets on the BBC News website looks great too, where were the screens?
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it wasn't like any other accident though Stan
 
Gamla Stan said:
It also seems like Newbury handled it appallingly, why run the first race? The pictures of horses corpses covered in sheets on the BBC News website looks great too, where were the screens?
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If it was an everyday occurance (horses dying) presumably they should have raced on in your opinion.

What confuses me is your thinking on the "outside" world. I think they would be more disgusted if racing treated an incident like this as the norm and did not make a big deal of today's losses.
 
Gamla Stan said:
Standard response from you SL, as usual, not considering how this story plays OUTSIDE of the racing world. My point was regarding how the racing industry have over reacted to what is a freak accident with tragic, fatal consequences.

I hate to break it to you but horses die on racecourses in full view of the public every week and they're accidents too. They, at present, don't really get reported by the mainstream press, the more this incident is turned into a national news story, the more other deaths in the sport will. You only need to trawl the usual news sites and social networks to see comments from non racing fans over the issue.

There is no denying this is a terrible accident but the way some of the usual face went on about it, you'd have thought that 40 racegoers were shot by armed gunmen. Newbury need to investigate it, punish those involved in any negligence, compensate and move on. You talk as if someone has deliberately killed these horses in a barbaric act.

It's a freak accident and is only that but if it is constantly played out on news stations, Twitter etc. then racing will yet again be in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

So why don't you stop and think about how the outside world will react to this story.
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Since I work on racecourses and live and work with racehorses I know full well that horses die every day, I see it myself every day and have done for many a year, something which I doubt you in your glasshouse have ever had to deal with. It's just something that happens on a TV screen to you isn't it? Something that impedes your next bet.
 
Racing is in the gutter with the public and needs positive stories in the outside world. Talked up stories about horses being electrocuted before races tends to play badly and hardly encourages newcomers to the sport.

SL, thanks for engaging in the debate in such a mature manner. I'll happily defend my opinion to Gal who clearly disagrees with me very strongly but keeps his dignity throughout unlike yourself.
 
What are you suggesting, Gamla Stan? That the press gloss over the deaths or try to conceal them and carry on as though all is rosy? Everyone with more than a handful of braincells realises that racing needs positive press and stories like this are a possible nail in the coffin however glossing over or ignoring it is even worse. Doesn't take a genius to recognise that.

Far as I'm concerned I've kept it well on topic, Gal - and comments about 'engaging in debate in such a mature manner' are laughable from this poster after what he has said, are they not? From the start he's just laughed it off as 'typical response' from me whilst making a point of insulting me personally to boot without at any point recognising that his response to it is ill thought out at best, downright offensive at worst.
 
I don't think it matters how much this is "played up"..horses getting electrocuted in front of racegoers is going to hit the news no matter what.
 
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