- Jump racing is banned in all Australian states except Victoria.
- Regional meeting saw a brutal day of falls with a cyclist in critical condition
- It has reignited calls for Victoria to ban jumps racing
Three horses killed and a jockey seriously injured in a single race have sparked fresh calls for jumps racing to be banned in Australia’s last state to hold it.
Two jockeys suffered injuries, one seriously, and three horses were euthanised during six races on Grand National Jumps Day in Ballarat on Sunday.
Lee Horner, 34, initially went to a local hospital with a head injury before being transferred to Royal Melbourne Hospital.
He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after suffering a head injury during the Grand National Steeplechase.
Horner suffered a bruise on the brain after falling from his mount, Sky Hero, on the final lap of the race. Mighty Oasis and Horner’s stablemate Bell Ex One, ridden by Will Gordon, were also involved in the incident.
Horner and Gordon were injured after Sky Hero and Bell Ex One tangled with Mighty Oasis, who fell after failing to clear the tenth obstacle.
The Victorian Jockeys’ Association (VJA) gave an update on Horner’s condition on Sunday night, with further details expected on Monday.
Meanwhile, Gordon was taken to Ballarat Base Hospital with a suspected shoulder injury. As of Monday morning, there was no further update on Gordon’s condition.
According to the stewards, Mighty Oasis suffered a serious injury and was euthanized. Chris McCarthy, Mighty Oasis’ jockey, was unhurt, but Horner and Gordon had to be hospitalized.
According to the stewards, both Sky Hero and Bell Ex One were lame in their front leg.
The ill-fated final race brought to an end a tragic day in Ballarat, after two horses had already died. Maserartie Bay and Buffalo Bill faltered less than halfway through their races.
Show jumping jockey Lee Horner is in a critical condition with a bruise on the brain after a fall in Ballarat on Sunday.
Jockey Will Gordon was also hospitalized while his mount Mighty Oasis was euthanized.
They suffered serious injuries and were euthanised. The incidents were referred to Racing Victoria veterinarians and the Jumping Review Committee.
The events prompted calls from anti-jumping campaign groups to ban the sport.
‘Maserartie Bay, Buffalo Bill and Mighty Oasis were killed at the final #jumpsracing race of the season in Ballarat today,’ posted an X account called Ban Jumps Racing.
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Another account posted: “Three horses died today at #Jumpsracing in #Ballarat. Horses are not made to jump jumps at speed. #banjumpsracing.”
According to data from the activist group Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, by 2023, 1 in 38 show jumping horses will die on the track. In addition, 1 in 10 show jumping horses will fall and many will suffer serious injuries.
Victoria remains the only state in Australia where jumps racing is permitted.
In late 2009, due to a significant number of deaths and injuries among jumpers in Victoria, Racing Victoria announced that the 2010 jumps racing season would be its last.
However, the decision was reversed seven weeks later due to pressure from the racing industry, allowing jumps racing to continue.
In South Australia, after years of campaigning by the South Australian Racehorse Protection and Animal Liberation Coalition, steeplechase racing was banned in 2022.
Australian Jump Racing Association president and owner Sandy McGregor has recently defended the sport, saying new technology has significantly reduced falls, injuries and deaths.