It may not be the biggest trend in the world, but drones have been spotted more recently at some racetracks. That trend could be coming to an end in some areas, though, as a particular jurisdiction has indefinitely banned them due to an incident that recently occurred.

As a piece by racingpost.com explains, Thoroughbred rider Frankie Dettori was recently unseated during a race overseas in Newmarket when a maiden filly was spooked by a drone that was in use at the raceway. The filly ran loose for some time and Dettori has put the blame on the presence of the drone.

In light of the incident, the British Horseracing Authority indefinitely suspended the use of drones at its racecourses pending an investigation.

Dettori has commented that he doesn’t believe that the filly’s response to the drone is the norm for such a situation, but he did say that he believed the machine was the culprit in the matter.

"The noise it made was like a swarm of bees, but the thing to stress is this was an accident,” Dettori said.

"Nine times out of ten it wouldn't have been a problem, but my filly was running for the first time and was wearing blinkers. She heard the noise and couldn't see anything, so she was spooked."

"The concerns raised at Newmarket clearly needed to be taken seriously,” Robin Mounsey, a spokesman for the BHA, was quoted as saying.

"While the testing procedures for the introduction of drones have been rigorous, and have received NTF and PJA sign off, it is still relatively new technology and we must show caution with its use if issues have been raised.

"As such we have made the decision to suspend using the drone on all British racecourses until the incident has been properly assessed. Welfare of horse and rider must always come first."

(With files from racingpost.com)