A four-horse spill ocurred in the sixth race at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday night sending driver Rick Zeron to hospital
.
After angling off the pylons from sixth down the backstretch, Whippet Good (Jason Brewer) fell to the ground and catapulted his driver from the sulky. St Pete Star (Scott Zeron) and Blended Whiskey (Rick Zeron) were following in behind and could not avoid the fallen horse. Those two horses collided and fell, dumping their drivers as well. World Away veered around the horses, but sent driver Mike Saftic flying from his sulky in the process.
Rick Zeron required medical attention and early reports indicate that he was taken to hospital with a reported concussion and dislocated shoulder. Brewer, Saftic and Scott Zeron were able to walk off the track under their own power, however, Saftic and Scott Zeron have booked off the remainder of their drives.
Trot Insider will provide further updates on the condition of the drivers and horses involved when made available.
Please join Standardbred Canada in wishing those involved a speedy recovery.
I do wish the driver speedy
I do wish the driver speedy recovery but what about the horses, no one mentions if they are okay.
Day after day these hardy
Day after day these hardy athletes put there lives on the line to bring us horse lovers excitement and entertainment. No other sport in the world requires its athletes to compete every day at such an intense level. These men and women deserve much more respect and attention than what they are given. As a sophomore to the racing community I have come to appreciate the dedication and commitment made by these fine athletes each and every race. These drivers spend countless hours both training and racing these finely tuned animals. Nobody knows how many hours are also spent travelling to and from the many race tracks these competitors appear at as well. Accidents, thank goodness are a rare occurance in this high speed sport of man and beast. However, tragically as in all sporting events, things sometimes go awry. Last night was one of those nights. Four of North Americas top drivers went down as well as three horses. The most seriously injured driver was Rick Zeron. Every loyal race fan wishes a speedy recovery to Mr. Zeron and hopes he can return soon to the racing scene, for he shall be missed. It is my hope that all the drivers involved are fine and will recover from this unfortunate racing accident. God speed to all the 'bike riders' out there and know that as a harness race fan, your efforts are much admired. (unless you lose of course). lol
Glad to hear that there were
Glad to hear that there were only minor injuries wishing a speedy recovery to all. To Jimmy and Nico best wishes from your friends from Cape Breton we still talk about our trip to your stable when we visited you a couple of years ago and Whippit stole our hearts along with Casmir Hotpants. Wishing all a speedy recovery and best wishes only to all involved.
Everyone is SAFE so SMILE, &
Everyone is SAFE so SMILE, & know you all have each other!
RELAX & Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope your shoulder heals well...
From one of your biggest horse viewers!
It is always difficult to
It is always difficult to watch a race where a horse falls, for whatever reason, it sometimes happens. It is the view of some people that harness racing is a horrible sport that abuses horses. But the reality is, and anyone who has ever worked with standardbreds knows that freak accidents happen. You could walk out your front door and get struck down by an astroid, but it isn't something you could or should plan for. My main concern is for the drivers and the horses. I certainly hope that Rick Zeron is going to be alright, he works very hard and for the sake of his well being, his family and fans, I for one wish him a speedy recovery.