Pontefract abandons card after 45-minute delay to fourth race with jockey hospitalised

Racing at Pontefract was abandoned an hour after an accident to jockey Duran Fentiman, due to what long-serving managing director Norman Gundill called "an extraordinary set of circumstances."

Fentiman parted company with newcomer Cangofar on the way to the start for the mile novice for two-year-olds, which was due off at 3.45pm.

The jockey, who recently rode the 400th winner of his career, was treated for a suspected broken leg at the scene. He was seen conscious and speaking to medical staff as he was put on a stretcher and carried into an ambulance, with other runners still waiting at the start.

However, the ambulance did not start moving until past 4.20pm and its progress was hindered by the configuration of the stalls which blocked the service road. And the situation was not helped by a crash on the road outside.

By the time the ambulance was clear, it was decided that the two-year-olds had spent too long at the start on a cold, wet afternoon to be allowed to run. It was also too late to get the replacement ambulance that was needed for the rest of the card to go ahead so racing was abandoned at around 4.40pm.

Duran Fentiman was taken to hospital with a suspected broken legCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"Duran was unshipped on the way to the start and when the medical team got to him he obviously had quite a bad injury," Gundill said. "They took quite a long time to assess him and stabilise him and get him in the ambulance.

"There was a further complication as there has been an accident on the road outside. All horses were kept at the start, it's a cold miserable day and the stewards and officials were in communication with the vets at the start as to whether they were happy for the horses to run, having been there for so long.

"Under the rules, we can run one race but we can't then carry on unless we get a replacement ambulance back. The vets decided the horses had been there so long and it was cold and decided they wouldn't run that race."

Attempts were made to secure a replacement ambulance but Gundill said: "Bearing in mind the timescale and when darkness will fall, the decision was taken we couldn't get anybody here so we can't carry on racing.

"At the end of the day both the medical and the veterinary staff must decide what is best for the horses and the injured jockey. Everything that was done was done with that in mind and the decisions were taken accordingly.

"I've never seen anything like this before. It's very unfortunate, an extraordinary set of circumstances."

Gundill said that racegoers at the meeting would be compensated with tickets to another fixture.

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