THIS is the moment a winning rider on his 999-1 horse was knocked over by a stray horse during a melee at the Stratford race.
Gavin Sheehan crashed to the turf after riding 9-4 favorite Howdilyudo to victory – but only after tragedy struck at the final hurdle.
Howdilyudo closely followed leading riders Princess Midnight and Achy Breaky Heart to finish last in the 2m3f race last Sunday.
But incredibly they both fell on the same jump, and sadly Achy Breaky Heart, trained by Milton Harris, died.
Princess Midnight got up and ran to the finish, where she met Admiral’s Sunset, who had beaten horseman James Davies at the sixth fence.
The cameras were still rolling as Sheehan pulled his winning horse – which was bet at the best odds of 999-1 on the Betfair exchange – behind the post.
And they captured the moment Admiral’s Sunset crashed into Howdilyudo, the impact knocking the jockey out of his saddle.
The event marked a chaotic end to a crazy race, with only two of the six runners actually reaching the finish line.
Winning trainer Jamie Snowden appeared delighted to win despite the sad events surrounding this victory, which was Howdilyudo’s first over hurdles.
“No one wants to win in circumstances like this and luck was certainly in our favor today,” he said.
Despite looking completely exhausted, Howdilyudo ultimately won against Daenerys Stormborn by a margin of 28 horse lengths.
That took the seven-year-old horse’s total career earnings to £17,416 from 13 races for owners Chasing Gold Racing Club.
