Sulky shaft impales pacer Spielburg

Press, 1 December 1988, Page 35

Sulky shaft impales pacer Spielburg

By

JEFF SCOTT

The / maiden pacer, Spielburg, was impaled through the crest of his neck by a sulky shaft during an incident at the Addington trials yesterday. When racing keenly, Spielburg broke and fell with 1900 m to run. The sulky shaft was driven through his neck moments later when the Locarno gelding was hit from behind. Spielburg was taken to the outside of the track by

reinsman Tim Butt but the horse had to wait a few minutes until the completion of the trial before a crash team arrived to give assistance. “He’s alive and should live, but the next 48 hours will tell the story,” said Speilburg’s West Melton trainer, Stephen Hale, last evening. “Whether he makes a racehorse though will depend on whether nature knits his neck back- together,” he said. “He had a three-hour

operation to sew the neck together again and the veterinarian, Cliff McGrouther, is very pleased with the way it went,” said Hale. Hale only entered Spielburg for the trials after the youngster failed to gain a start at totalisator meetings in recent weeks. “He’s quite a nice horse and I’d been waiting for him for some time before racing him. But he’s young and hopefully he’ll get over the shock,” said Hale.