The Sandon Racing Accident

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 99, 22 March 1888, Page 3

The Sandon Racing Accident

On ' Tuesday afternoon an inquest was held before G. M Snelsou, Esq., Coroner, on the body of the lad W. MeKehzie, who died from injuries he received at the Sandon Races tn Saturday last. Edward Read gave evidence that he ' ran a horse called Rustic in the Flying Stakes ; had engaged a boy named Montague to ride, but at the last moment Montague disappointed him ; deceased came and asked to be allowed to ride the horse ; the lad said he could ride, and pulled a jockey's cap from his, pocket, from which witness inferred the lad had attended the races to get a mount ; engaged the lad; he did not know whether deceased could ride well enongh to jockey a horse on a course like that of Sandon; he would have let any boy in the saddling paddock ride,providing the weight was suitable ; he believed the hollow where the accident took place had had some filling put into it a fortnight before ; the rain which had fallen in the interval would tend to harden it somewhat; five other horses came to grief ; believed the first was Songster, ridden by Coiletto, a professional jockey. • . Edward Marsh deposed: He rode bis own horse in the race — Little Pearl ; he was the second to fall ; his horse cannoned against Songster ; he considered the course a fairly good one ; other races had been run before the accident; he could not say that his coming on Songster brought the other horses, down. .

Jas. McKenzie, trainer and jockey, employed by Mr Bell, of Jfeilding, deposed: He; was the brother of the deceased ; his brother was a poor rider, and had asked if he might ride in the pony race, to which the witness had replied " No" ; he did not know that his brother was going to ride in the Flying race, and if he had known it he should have stopped it, because j he knew the lad was not competent ; at the time of the saddling for the Flying, he was away from the course fetching his pony, and on his return he was surprised to see his brother on one of the horses going down the straight ; it was then too late for him to interfere; the next thing he saw yia» a lot of horses cantering without riders ;-he found his brother amongst those lying on the ground, and he appeared to be quite unconscious j his brother, in fact never recovered consciousness, and died at the hotel about '.ha)l past eleven on Sunday morning. _ Medical evidence proved that deceased died from concussion of the A Tha jury Returned a verdict that met his death from injuries received wfcile riding a horse at the gandoarace». ■",■•' '" ■■"■■/ • .. ■ . .