Leicester and Hereford racecourses have been fined after separate British racing safety incidents, with Leicester ordered to pay £5,000 and Hereford £3,500. The penalties, reported on Monday, centre on a January incident at Leicester involving Lac De Constance and a May incident at Hereford in which groundstaff and a pitchfork were left on the racing line.
At Leicester, Lac De Constance was injured after unseating Tristan Durrell in a 2m6½f handicap chase. Racing Post reported that the racecourse was found to have acted inappropriately by not stopping the race or putting privacy screens around the horse, who was later euthanised.
Hereford also punished after pitchfork scare
Hereford’s fine followed a 3m1f handicap chase on 5 May, when two members of groundstaff were still on the course as runners approached the third-last fence. One dropped a pitchfork on the track, forcing Gavin Sheehan, riding eventual winner Maximum Offers, to steer around the obstacle.
Adjudicating judicial panel member Clement Goldstone KC said the Hereford incident “could have caused serious injury”, though the racecourse was credited for a prompt admission.
The sanctions keep racecourse operations under scrutiny as Britain moves into the busiest part of the summer programme, with welfare, screening procedures and on-course communication all central to public confidence. The details were set out in Racing Post’s report on the Leicester and Hereford fines.
