Yarmouth’s Monday meeting was abandoned after the third race after jockeys expressed concern about a patch of false ground resulting from an accident.
Lord Chapelfield (GB) (Delegator {GB}) broke down during the card’s third race, with jockey Gabriele Malune taken to hospital for assessment, after which a group of jockeys inspected the turf course with Clerk of the Course Richard Aldous.
Aldous said, “The jockeys were concerned about the mark the horse made when he fell. They felt that the course wasn’t fit in their opinion. You have got to respect their opinion as they are the ones riding on it. We will now have a look at the course and take it from there. We will have a further look at the course this evening and tomorrow to see where we are at ahead of the meeting that is scheduled to take place on Friday.
“I think it was a unanimous decision by the jockeys and you have to respect that. It was terrible to see. Gabriele has gone to the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston for further assessment. He was awake and talking upon leaving the track.”
PJ McDonald was among those who inspected the course, and he said, “We found a patch of ground that was easier to move, with inconsistent ground underneath. We couldn’t tell if that was on a patch where they hadn’t raced yet, so we had to do the right thing and cancel the meeting.”
Amy Murphy, trainer of Lord Chapelfield, shed further light on the situation, saying, “It is horrible. Gabriele is my apprentice and we have lost a horse, so it is devastating. He was unconscious and not in a good way for the first five minutes, but the fact that he left in the ambulance talking is really all that matters.
“It is devastating for a team of our size to lose a horse as well, but the main thing that matters is that Gabriele is OK. He was moving all his legs and arms and was talking. Hopefully it will be short term rather than long term, but he has been taken off for full checks. It is one of those horrible things about this game unfortunately. I was watching it live and he did have a heavy fall and please God that he remains in one piece. I’m so sorry for the connections of the horse as he was a homebred and the breeders adored him. It is heartbreaking for them and my condolences go out to them.”
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