AVOIDABLE ACCIDENT

NZ Truth, Issue 1238, 22 August 1929, Page 13

AVOIDABLE ACCIDENT

Seemed To Be Plenty of Room To Move In

BEAUFORT STEEPLE CRASH

(From "N.Z. Truth Christchurch 'Representative). There was only one blot on the Grand National meeting and it left a puzzled impression on those who were m a good position to closely observe what happened.

TT was an accident which could have been avoided and the manner m which.it was handled by the Judicial Committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club is, only, another indication of. the weakness of amateur judicial control. The accident concerned the falling | of Young i Thurnham on the flat m the Beaufort Steeplechase, resulting m the admission ( of Ernie Shaw to the hospital with a broken collarbone. There were only three horses in.it at the finish, Dubious; with the inside running leading into the straight, by a length and a half, from Fabriano, which was running wide on the outer, with. Young Thurnham making a promising run. At this stage, Shaw came from the back on Young Thurnham,. and when he started to make his run there was plenty of room for him to pass between Dubious and Fabriano. But as Young. Thurnham put m an appearance, O'Connor drew the whip on Fabriano, with the apparent intention of leading over the last fence. j i As he did so, Fabriano seemed to swerve across to the left; apparently I squeezing Young Thurnham over on to Dubious. * ' ■ The Aucklarider got on to the, heels of Dubious and ell, on the flat, partly rolling on his rider, who looked from the stands to be /badly hurt. "Truth" 1 - has seen Fabriano running In all his races this winter, and not

once has he run away from the whip. At Trentham he i-olled about, but he was dog-tired that day and his rider made no effort to keep. him straight. In fact, he is probably the gamest 'chaser seen out this season, and what j he was doing coming across on to the other two runners, when there was plenty of room, and when a straight course was the most profitable one, is hard to understand. The finding of the stewards was "that after hearing O'Connor and Hunt, and reading a statement written 'by Shaw m hospital, there was no evidence to show that there was a charge against anybody for crossing. The accident was caused through Young Thurnham getting on the heels of a horse m front." This priceless effusion is regarded by those who witnessed the incident as' a striking commentary oh amateur control. It is not for "Truth" to attach, the blame m these unwelcome incidents. Men are paid by the administration to advise the amateur control and, so far as this paper has been able to, learn, they carry out their part of the contract. But this incident demonstrates marked; inefficiency somewhere. The judicial committee \ may be satisfied about the. accident and it may be that it was pure misadventure, but many witnesses consider j that it could have been avoided^ i