SHOCKED racegoers - including families with young children - watched in horror at the annual Cullenamore Races as a crash resulted in a horse having to be put down and two jockeys rushed to hospital.
The collision occurred in front of hundreds of spectators shortly after the start of the fourth race at the popular annual event, which took place on Sunday afternoon on the picturesque beach in the shadow of Knocknarea.
Two young riders, both thought to be in their teens and neither from County Sligo, were brought to Sligo General Hospital in separate ambulances. Both were described as being in a comfortable condition at the hospital yesterday (Monday). One of them was said to be suffering from a back injury, the other from bruising and shock.
The accident occurred when two horses became entangled shortly after the beginning of the race, and members of the Sligo and Leitrim Civil Defence Ambulance and a doctor quickly rushed to the aid of the two injured boys.
One horse had to be put down after sustaining serious leg injuries, believed to be broken forelegs.
One eyewitness said: “Thankfully it was not more serious. We could just see the two little boys on the ground. They looked to be in their early teens.
“Civil Defence ambulances are on call for these races and they were quickly on the scene to help. I could just see one little boy who was lying on the sand and was bleeding from the nose and the other was partially covered in sand. A doctor came and attended to them and they were put on spinal boards. They were stabilised and that would have taken about 15 minutes.
“They were put brought to Sligo General Hospital where they were escorted by a garda car. A lot of people came around to see that the young boys were all right. Thankfully everything was well organised and nobody was seriously injured. Accidents can happen at horse races but everything was dealt with very humanely and efficiently.”
Race committee member Terry Hayes said it was an unfortunate occurrence. “Thankfully the two boys are making a recovery in hospital,” he said. “It is something that is always a possibility in horse racing but there is always proper medical attention available. Two ambulances were on call and a doctor was there to attend to the injured. Unfortunately a horse had to be put down also.”
One of the spectators, Marcella Brown, a U.S. visitor to Strandhill from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, said: “It was a very distressing scene when the horse tried to stand up with two broken front legs. Everyone around me was very shocked. This is always a risk when horses are raced.”
The races were held up for over an hour before resuming. A crowd of up to 300 attended the popular races which finished up around 7.30 pm.
