Angry Dan Skelton hits back at abusive punters as loose horse wipes out three runners in Wetherby juvenile hurdle

Racing at Wetherby ended in chaotic fashion with four of the six runners in the juvenile hurdle taken out of the contest by the time the second flight had been jumped.

And trainer Dan Skelton was left fuming by a punter who shouted "bent race" after his 11-10 favourite Global Eclipse was beaten by Jack The Boss (11-1), the only other runner left standing.

Each of the six runners was an unraced three-year-old, taking part in a contest from which horses who had raced on the Flat were barred, and their lack of experience showed from the off.

Global Eclipse himself swerved sharply right at the start but was left in the lead at the first flight when Snow Dragon jinked left and unseated Alan Doyle.

The loose horse then caused chaos at the second flight, where For You Buzz unseated Adam Wedge and Romancier (Brian Hughes) and Adaay Forever (Philip Armson) were brought down.

How the incident unfolded

Snow Dragon (right) approaches the second flight at WetherbyCredit: Racing TV

Snow Dragon veers to his right and towards the other runnersCredit: Racing TV

Snow Dragon leaves his rivals with nowhere to go in the juvenile hurdleCredit: Racing TV

Snow Dragon brings down Adaay Forever and Romancier, and leads to the unseating of Adam Wedge aboard For You BuzzCredit: Racing TV

Snow Dragon gallops away, with Jack The Boss (left) and Global Eclipse the only runners left in the raceCredit: Racing TV

Jack The Boss, who went on to win the race, assumes the lead from Global Eclipse (left)Credit: Racing TV

Harry Skelton was nearly unseated from Global Eclipse but kept the partnership intact, behind Sam Twiston-Davies on Jack The Boss who was left in front and made the rest of the running in a match race contested by two clearly green horses.

The second-last flight was omitted after being flattened on the first circuit and the winner passed the post a length and three-quarters clear of his only other rival.

Dan Skelton: "You wouldn't believe the amount of abuse we get"Credit: Mike Egerton (Getty Images)

"It was chaos," said Skelton, who was verbally abused by one punter as he returned to the winner's enclosure, where another cried out to trainer brother Dan.

"He shouted it was a bent race!" said Dan Skelton, angrily. "You wouldn't believe the amount of abuse we get. It's incredible – my odds-on runner in the first race had a breathing issue but I still got calls and texts about it."

"We've had these [junior 'National Hunt'] races for a season and a half and they're interesting," said Twiston-Davies, who was completing a double after winning the Wensleydale Hurdle on Liam Swagger.

"They were green, there was a long run to the first flight and it took a lot by surprise. There were loose horses here, there and everywhere.

"Being on a horse of Donald McCain's, I thought after all the chaos I would go forward. It's hard to sum up. It was like being a child in a point-to-point again."

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