Horse racing oddity: maintenance crew nearly trampled

Date: August 19, 2004
Track: Del Mar

I'm happy to report no one was hurt. There are two parts to this video. First is a clip of the "head-on" camera shot, which clearly shows three maintenance workers diving as they realize the field is about to trample them. Notice the bucket that they leave on the course.

The second part is the full race. At the 2:29 mark, you can see where the maintenance workers scramble, but it's not nearly as clear as the head-on shot.

From Steve Andersen's report in the Daily Racing Form:

"Three members of the Del Mar turf course staff nearly caused a catastrophic accident in the seventh race Thursday, when they were forced to scramble under the rail to avoid a field of seven horses while replacing divots on the turf course.

"The three men dove under the inside rail just as the field turned for home and had so little time to react that they left a plastic bucket on the course, which the runners nearly struck.

"The incident occurred with approximately a quarter-mile remaining in a race over 1 3/8 miles on turf. The three men walked onto the course and began working when the field passed the far turn for the first time. They were alerted of the oncoming field by the screams of the jockeys."

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Thoroughbred
• horse
• racing
• oddity
• maintenance
• crew
• nearly
• trampled
• Del
• Mar
• Trevor
• Denman

[109367]

"Dude, like isn't there a race going on?"

"No man, it's like sunday."

"Then what the hell is that?"

"Um, that would be seven 1,200 pound horses galloping at us at about forty miles an hour."

"Dude . . . wanna play chicken?"

[TXRider]

Wow! That is the stupidest friggin idiot...wow.

HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW POST TIME when you work at a track!!??

[LightingInvoker]

I didn't see it the first time. I only noticed Gent check a bit on the turn and the jockey look back. That was really close! But yeah, a really good race otherwise!

[afleetalex05]

This is actually a really good race. I love the 2:20 mark when 'Gent's' (?) rider puts him in a drive. Great horse!!

[Blondschopf90]

Ich HASSE solche Bilder, da rennen die Pferdchen schon wie die Irren und werden auf der Zielgeraden trotzdem nochmal richtig verhauen... Arme Pferde... :´-(

[orlndblmsug]

those are some dedicated maintenance men!

morons...

[luvtowin]

OMG! They weren't aware there was a race going on.?

[shabital]

martina is a name of someone who got trampled : )

[rickhh1]

@Chunkshank: "Why is Trevor Denman still calling the race? Oh sh**"

[xoxNadeshxox]

i argree with everyone they shouldn't have been on the track. but what the hell were they friggin doing there? i mean. you know that a race just started. MORONS

[Chunkshank]

I think those guys were unaware of how long the race was. They weren't there the first time the horses went around. Oops. Time for those guys to take some Furlong classes.

[SamiThePsycho]

how do you not know when the race started when you WORK AT THE FRIGGIN PLACE??? HERES AN IDEA

KNOW UR FACTS MORONS