Sedgefield fined after injured jockey taken to hospital in a horsebox

Sedgefield Racecourse in County Durham has been fined £6,500 after an injured jockey was taken to hospital in a horsebox instead of an ambulance. A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) disciplinary panel also found that the course had failed to comply with five general instructions in the sport's Rules of Racing.

The incident happened in March. The jockey fell and injured his left clavicle, the collarbone, and his shoulder. A doctor examined him at the course and he was cleared to ride again. Later, a doctor advised him to go to A&E, the accident and emergency department, because he was still in pain.

By then, every ambulance crew had left the course. The jockey was taken from Sedgefield in a horsebox, with medical staff following behind. The panel said he was in too much pain to climb into the following car.

The BHA panel said the general instructions require an injured person to be transferred to hospital properly, with qualified medical staff travelling with them. The panel also found other failings at the course. A telephone line did not work, and worn-out rooms could not be kept as a clean clinical area.

Sedgefield Racecourse accepted that it had made errors and fallen short. An inspection in April found significant progress had been made since the March incident.

Racing takes place at speed, and falls are part of the risk for the people who ride. That is why the rules set out what must happen once a rider is hurt. Medical cover, ambulances and safe routes to hospital are there to make sure an injured rider gets proper care, not a rushed journey by any available vehicle.

The fine and the findings close the disciplinary case against the course. The BHA's panel has set out what Sedgefield got wrong and what the rules require of racecourses in future.