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Terrible news in the horse racing world … 3 jockeys were hospitalized and 2 horses died after a horrific fall during a horserace in Hong Kong on Sunday.
The tragic event happened during the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse … when jockey Lyle Hewitson‘s horse lost its footing several hundred yards into the race, collapsing ahead of a large pack of horses.
The whole incident was televised … and the video clearly shows Hewiston’s horse, Amazing Star fall, sending the South African jockey slamming to the ground, before being trampled by a stampede of horses.
That caused a domino effect … and sent 3 other jockeys and their horses flying to the ground.
Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive director Andrew Harding says all 3 men were treated at Prince of Wales hospital with multiple injuries.
Hewitson ended up having a fractured hip and small bleed in the brain. 4x Hong Kong champ, Zac Purton, suffered four fractured ribs, a fractured wrist and a broken nose.
The third jockey, Yuichi Fukunaga of Japan, broke his collarbone.
Miraculously, all of the jockeys survived.
Unfortunately, the 2 horses weren’t so lucky. Amazing Star and Naboo Attack suffered fatal injuries and had to be euthanized.
The race did go on after the collision. Australian jockey Blake Shinn and his horse Sky Field officially took the title … a win he calls “bittersweet”.
“I have mixed emotions for winning this race today,” Shinn said.
Sky Field takes out the Hong Kong Sprint with @blake_shinn in the saddle 👇 pic.twitter.com/IdGUAz0k6H
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 12, 2021
@SkyRacingAU
“Obviously the first emotion is that my feelings are with the fallen jockeys and horses out there.”
“It’s a real bittersweet win and in a way, it’s a hard win to take in the circumstances.”