Riders prevent catastrophe after loose horse runs wrong way
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The eighth race on Monday at Parx Racing was declared a no contest when a loose horse running in the wrong direction had to be caught in the stretch. Thanks to the heroics of outriders Filemon Gonzalez and Facundo Vaio, as well as jockey Frankie Pennington, no one was seriously harmed in the incident.
Turning for home with a short lead, Pennington’s first thought was that his horse, Showtime Matinee, had plenty left for the stretch run. That thought was immediately interrupted by blaring sirens, flashing lights, and the sight of three horses barreling toward him.
“When he heard the sirens, he knew something happened, but he didn’t know what,” Bobby Martel, Pennington’s agent, said Tuesday.
After unseating jockey Jackie Davis, who was treated for minor injuries and returned to racing Tuesday, 3-year-old gelding Sir Rob Roy began running in the wrong direction around the track. Gonzalez and Vaio immediately began chasing him down and drew alongside him in the stretch.
“The horse was excited, and it was hard to stop him because they want to go,” Gonzalez said. “The other outrider, Facundo, came to help me as a team. We were able to avoid any injury with the horses and riders, which is our goal.”
Pennington, a veteran jockey, was the first to see the loose horse, and outriders and quickly instructed nearby riders to pull up. Eliseo Ruiz, a 23-year-old jockey, was riding hard with his head down on the rail and only began to pull up after Pennington called out to him.
“He let the kids around him know that it wasn’t a horse race anymore,” Martel said of Pennington.
The jockey nearly got caught in the crosshairs when Gonzalez, Vaio, and Sir Rob Roy began veering to the outside. He quickly steered Showtime Matinee back toward the inside rail. The outriders and loose horse ran past unimpeded.
“It goes to show that things happen that are out of your control, and it’s good to have people there that are ready to step up,” Martel said.
Gonzalez, Vaio, and Pennington all received praise after the race, with several officials stating that trio helped prevent serious injuries in a dangerous situation.
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