Worst Racing Accident You've Ever Seen?

[hbeck]

On simulcast or in person...

Simulcast- Stacy Burton at Prescott downs in 2000 is by far the worst I have ever seen (horse got loose ran the wrong way collided head on with her horse). In a $2000 claiming race too.

In Person- Suffolk Downs last summer, $4000 claimer had to be put down. Leg dangling in a terrible angle.

[stlseeeek]

was at belmont(simucast)

julie krone was on a all en paulson horse, it was super sloppy, with a 6 horse field, 2 horses went down around the turn, and Krone had a 10 length lead when her horse collapsed(not sure what exactly happened, heartattack,etc) about 2 feet from the wire.

i've seen many nasty buggy spills on tv and a few on the simucast sets.



seems that buggy accidents end up being more catastrophic.

[Dave]

it was a few years ago, and I can't remember the details.

I'd say sportsmans.......probably opening week, which was probably end of feb(?).
anyway, it was pretty cold and the whole track was frozen, but that particular day, the temp was decent and the sun had melted the surface into this sloppy mess.
I think they harrowed the inner half, but pretty much left the outer half alone, for some strange reason.
can't remember the trainer --- he's been a regular on the circuit, but I think that was actually his first year over here from ny, and the horse involved had just shipped over.
as the horses came around the tight turn, just before the stretch, I think what happened was that one horse basically just wiped out --- smashing into another horse and just sliding straight out like he was on a skating rink to collide w/the outer wall of the turn.
they left that mud splatter up the wall all week, if I remember.

it was either right after that race, or the next, that the jockeys got together and decided to cancel the rest of the card.

I'd put barbaro in here, too, but I figured you were looking for something a little different.

edit: and that one in the b-cup --- who was that?

edit edit: maybe the trainer was irwin.......?

[hbeck]

I agree that harness racing spills seem to end up catastrophic more often then not. So much equipment it all ends up being a tangled mess

[banacek]

Worst thing I saw was at Queensbury Downs (now defunct) in Canada. A horse somehow hit the rail and the rail broke open and speared right through the horse's stomach.

[Dave]

Worst thing I saw was at Queensbury Downs (now defunct) in Canada. A horse somehow hit the rail and the rail broke open and speared right through the horse's stomach.

ew....

[sq764]

Not gory at all, but I saw a race 2 years ago at Rosecroft where a driver had a heart attack and died. You could see him just go limp and start to fall back, then fell right out.. It was sick to watch cause you knew what happened..

[bigmack]

Was is the point of this thread?

[Steve 'StatMan']

I'd written a long post but decided to delete it. Too ugly and gruesome. Brought myself down too much - no need to share it and bring others down too. Sorry.

[Dave]

how about just bullet points?

[Steve 'StatMan']

OK -

Agree with you Dave on the one at Sportsman's splashing/crashing into the wall - I was there that day too

Rodney Dickens getting killed in 1991, also at Sportsman's.

AP Memorial Day, circa 1989-1991. Winner had heart attack at wire and fell like a 1200 pound rag doll going 30-35 MPH. Totat Exhilaration to Near-Total Tragedy (thankfull the rider was unharmed physically - but mighty distraught)

[Dave]

it's amazing the beating some of these guys walk away from.
I actually have a friend who got kicked full in the face by her horse as she was bending down behind him --- doctors thought she was a goner in icu, but she pulled through, thank god.

can't really remember anything all that tragic involving a jockey outside of maybe the julie krone thing, which I'm not even sure I witnessed, but you see so many spills over such a long period of time that it's tough to call them up.

[kenwoodallpromos]

GGF once, 2 horses and riders went down and another horse jumped completely over them to win the race.

[Prado Can Ride]

Me it happened at River Downs, on the steps and like 15 feet in front was the horse in person that went down they two others went down. They had two others put down too. A horrible tradegy:(

[gillenr]

Don't remember if any horses or drivers were hurt, but way back at Yonkers, the car lost the rear axle in mid-stretch & all the horses piled into the gate.

[Valuist]

The Rodney Dickens incident in 1991 does come to mind, but the most bizarre has to the race at Pimlico on Preakness day in 1999 when the fan wandered on to the track and tried to punch either the heavy chalk/and or Jerry Bailey, who was riding it. I believe he fanned on both.

[Prado Can Ride]

The Rodney Dickens incident in 1991 does come to mind, but the most bizarre has to the race at Pimlico on Preakness day in 1999 when the fan wandered on to the track and tried to punch either the heavy chalk/and or Jerry Bailey, who was riding it. I believe he fanned on both.

I forgot about that until not too long ago when on ESPN they had Bailey talking about that. That was funny, what was the horses name? I forget

[KirisClown]

was at belmont(simucast)

julie krone was on a all en paulson horse, it was super sloppy, with a 6 horse field, 2 horses went down around the turn, and Krone had a 10 length lead when her horse collapsed(not sure what exactly happened, heartattack,etc) about 2 feet from the wire.

When I saw this thread title, that's the exact race I thought of....

Smart Little Boy broke down with Samyn. Scherbo who was fairly highly regarded was the horse that collapsed with the heart attack at the wire... Krone was sitting in the mud holding his head after the incident. Very disturbing scene...

[Pace Cap'n]

I just recently saw the Stacey Burton crash, and that is one of the worst wrecks I've ever seen in ANY sport--two horses full head on at top speed--and she just went straight up. One horse was killed instantly and the other didn't live long.

She is so lucky to be alive, and suffered through years of intense therapy.

[bigmack]

I think this was about the worst I ever saw - dreadful - brace yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZocFmrB9U&search=horse%20accident

[KingChas]

:lol: Really scared me at first as to what she was gonna do! :eek: :lol:

[bigmack]

Don't go there KingChas - Literally!

[Zman179]

Worst accident I had ever seen was in a chase race at Sedgefield Race Course in England. One horse fell at one of the first fences and brought down two others. All three horses then ran off riderless in the wrong direction. When the field came down to the next-to-last fence, here came the loose horses...BAM!!! Three horses, one loose and two in the race, were killed instantly. You know it was bad when the accident was shown around the world on the news.

Now that that's over with, this thread gets my vote for most depressing thread ever.

[KingChas]

Don't go there KingChas - Literally!

Just have to let guys know I was laughing at Big Macks accident
-not Staceys. :blush:

[rrpic6]

I forgot about that until not too long ago when on ESPN they had Bailey talking about that. That was funny, what was the horses name? I forget

I was by the Security Office when they brought that guy in there. Looked like a few punches landed afterall. B.S. call to refund all the money on Artax, as he was well-beaten and would have finished 3rd at best. My win ticket on Yes Its True went from 4-1 to 9/5. .http://horseracing.about.com/library/weekly/aa051599.htm

[Secretariat]

Whew...I was unfortunately at Belmont for two of the worst IMO. I've seen some nasty spills over time, but these two still are vivd in my mind.

As a younger man I was at Belmont in 1975 and saw Ruffian break down in the match race with Honest Pleasure. Still hanunts me.

And at the 99 Belmont I lost a bundle on Charismatic, but watching Chris Antley jump off that horse after the finish and hold up the horse's leg was the single most courageous act I've ever seen live at the track. Hard to beleive that day that the horse would outlive the jockey.

[Stevie Belmont]

This was bad. http://thatvideosite.com/view/2742.html

[PaceAdvantage]

I stopped that last video before the accident cause I knew which one it was going to be after watching it for the first 10-20 seconds, and I just don't want to see something like that....I'm not sure who would want to watch something like that....

This whole thread is a bit shady if you ask me....

[bigmack]

Shady Aka Macabre

[PaceAdvantage]

Shady Aka Macabre

YES! That too...that is a much better word....

[Stevie Belmont]

Ive seen it once. Very bad. Topic is a bit off..

[hbeck]

My intent is not to create a "shady" thread, guys.
Unfortunately it is a part of racing. The video linked two posts ago is of Stacy Murphy and two fatally injured horses. I also couldn't watch it again (it was the first accident I listed in my original post).

[Mike at A+]

Two words - Mike Venezia

[toetoe]

As a dedicated flamethrower/troll/whatever, I nominate this as the worst thread ever, said thread having failed the suitability test. :ThmbDown:

[Dave]

I would suggest that all those who don't care for this thread not read it.

your time could be better spent protesting your local movie theatre, or writing letters to the fcc about janet jackson's nipple.

[bigmack]

I would suggest that all those who don't care for this thread not read it.
your time could be better spent protesting your local movie theatre, or writing letters to the fcc about janet jackson's nipple.
Kickin ass and taking names as a newcomer - or are you not a newcomer?

Good analogy nipples and horse accidents.

Ya get off in the same way on either or do ya like em in combination?

[Dave]

no, I'm pretty new.

and I'm just posting messages on a >>message board<<


how did I know you wouldn't be able to stay out of this thread for long?

ghoul.

[toetoe]

Um, someone's projecting and needs a timeout. :p