Four-year-old Joffrey was killed after a fall in a jumps race at Casterton on Sunday 30 June. The race doesn’t even appear on Joffrey’s record, as if it never happened. Learn the horrific details of his death in this testimony from an eyewitness:
“I was with a group of 7 members of a local community group, divot-filling as a fundraiser. We were waiting near the track for the first race to finish, when Joffrey fell at a jump very close to where we were. To our relief the jockey landed safely and at first, we thought Joffrey was alright too, as he stood quickly.
Then to my horror, as he turned around, I saw his front leg was swinging loose with a catastrophic open fracture exposing bone and flesh. I cannot overemphasise the impact of that nightmarish vision.
The big green screen was rushed over and put up between the horse and the public stands, but we could still see everything due to our position. Joffrey was sedated and lay down on the track ready for the vet to use the captive bolt – I went and stood in the nearby storage shed at this point until it was over.
When I emerged, they had managed to screen the view of his body being winched from the track into a float, leaving a man in a suit – presumably Joffrey’s owner – walking back to the stands carrying his bridle.
Later we divot fillers would go over that bit of track and pick several shards of shin bone and a single glistening piece of knee joint from the track.
The races were delayed a little, but soon resumed, still jumps. I couldn’t believe the owners weren’t all withdrawing their horses after witnessing that scene. I didn’t know those horses personally and felt traumatised, I couldn’t imagine sending a horse I cared about out to jump after that.
Two more falls happened. Thankfully the horses were fine, but one jockey was hospitalised.
That was the fourth time I have divot filled. Three of the meets (including the 30th June) had steeplechases or hurdles and if I remember correctly there has been at least one fall each time, though the 30th June was the only race where I know a horse or jockey was badly injured or killed.
I did email Racing Victoria to strongly suggest they stop further jumps races. They did respond expressing concern for we divot fillers and offering counselling. I explained it wasn’t the divot fillers mental health I was worried about, but the horse’s and jockey’s risk of death.”
The jumps are clearly so high, the horses can’t clear them safely.
Who regulates horse-racing safety, and why aren’t they screaming about this issue?
It’s not the first time a horse has died in a race, and unless something is done to improve safety URGENTLY, more horses will perish.
The hurdles are the worst offenders. They are not forgiving or collapsible leading horses to trip over them. Do something NOW to stop the carnage. It’s not even the end of the jumps season – how many more horses will die!
The hurdles are the worst offenders. They are not forgiving or collapsible leading horses to trip over them. Do something NOW to stop the carnage. It’s not even the end of the jumps season – how many more horses will die!