A JOCKEY’S DEATH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19505, 13 June 1925, Page 20

A JOCKEY’S DEATH.

THE CORONER’S INQUEST. SOME INTERESTING EVIDENCE. The adjourned inquest concerning Lhe death of Percy Keene, who died as the result of injuries sustained while riding in a hurdle race on the second day of the Dunedin Jockey Club’s winter meeting at AVingatui, on June 4, was concluded yesterday before Mr J. It. Bartholomew, b-M., sitting as coroner. Sub-inspector O’Halloran represented the police, Mr C. J. Payne (instructed by Messrs Statham, Brent and Anderson), appeared for the Dunedin Jockey Club, and Mr J. M. Gillies, appeared for the relatives of the deceased. Charles MTntosh Marshall deposed that ho was a duly qualified medical practitioner. and was senior house surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital. The deceased was admitted to that institution at T4O p.m. on June 4. Witness made an iexamination of deceased who was conscious, and could answer questions rationally. There was blood and brain fluid flowing from the right ear, showing that there must have been a fracture of the skull in that region. Witness communicated with Dr 8011, the senior surgeon, who saw the deceased within half an hour of admission, but decided that there was no need for operative measures. Dr Bell saw him once or twice daily. On Saturday, about midday it became evident that he was suffering from meningitis. He was treated for this condition but it was recognised' that the case was now hopeless. His condition became worse until on Tuesday he died. As far as witness could tell the cause of death was a fracture on the base of the skull with the complication of meningitis and heart failure. To the Sub-inspector: He could not say exactly whore deceased had been struck, but he should say it was on the temple adjacent to the right ear. The deceased had a few very minor abrasions in that region. A blow on that region could easiy have accounted for the fracture. Cyril Bernard Dawson said he was a jockey and resided at AVingatui. He was riding in the hurdle race in which deceased was injured. Ho had the mount on Tonterfield and deceased had the mount on Captain Sarto. Coming (o the third jump at the top of the straight Captain Sarto was on the rails, with Frenchman alongside. Witness was two or three lengths behind on the rails. Captain Sarto appeared to run straight into tho hurdle, and fell over. AA'itncss jumped in the same spot and landed on top of Captain Sarto, and nearly fell. While Tenterfield was recovering he struck Keene with his hind hoofs- There was a regulation skull cap which was regularly worn. AVitness had always worn one. Ho considered the skull cap was a great protection. It would protect tho wearer from a kick. As a rule the stipendiary or other stewards saw to it that each jockey wore a suitable cap. Witness had ridden over hurdles both in Australia and in tho dominion. He had no fault to find with tho hurdles at AA’ingatui. They wore the regulation height, and they had tho proper slope. They compared favourable with the hurdles on any course on which he had ridden. To Mr Gillies: The hurdles bad a. pad on tho top rail. They wore stayed up with an iron standard or spike; and tho hurdles wore attached to tho spikes with rope. Ho had seen accidents at this hurdle previously. Ho had no hesitation in saying that this jump was every bit its good as any obstacle ho had ever negotiated on any course. From his own knowledge ho could net say whether deceased was wearing a regulation steel cap. No official examination was made of witness to see if ho were wearing a skull cap or not. To tho Coronor: A rigid hurdle was just os safe to ride over as one which gave. To Mr Payne: AVitness was a hurdlo rider, as distinct from a flat race jockey. In Australia tho hurdles were erected more perpendicularly than tho hurdles m tho dominion. From what, witness saw of the accident. Captain Sarto ran straight into tho hurdlo. Ho never rose to it at all. Iho accident would have happened no matter what hurdlo was in use. It was purely an accident. A good jumper was just as likely to fall as a bad one. To tho Coroner: Captain Sarto was a good jumper, and as far as witness know ho had not previously fallen at a hurdle. To Mr Payne; When witness came round tho next time the top rail of the hurdlo at which Captain Sarto fell was broken. To Mr Gillies; There would be more “give" in the hurdles at Riccarton than there was in the hurdles at AVingatui. To Mr Payne: If Captain Sarto had jumped at the hurdlo at Riccarton in tiro some manner ns he did when ho fell at AVingatui the result would have been tho same as if he had struck tho hurdlo at AVingatui. Alick Ethelton Leonard M’Mullan deposed that he was a jockey, and resided at Upper Riccarton. Witness was also engaged in tho same hurdle race in which deceased ■ was injured. AVitness had tho mount on Tho Frenchman. At the second hurdlo Tho Frenchman and Captain Sarto were together. AVhen they got to tho third hurdlo Tho Frenchman took the hurdlo well, but Captain Sarto did not rise. _ Captain Sarto was on tho rails. Captain Sarto took the first two hurdles well. AVitness saw Captain Sarto tip out tho third fence and Tenterfield nearly jumped on top of him. Ho saw Tenterfield kick deceased on the head. He thought he kicked him with all his feet. Ho saw Tenterfield strike deceased with his two front feet, which rolled him over, and tho horse seemed to strike deceased with his two hind hoofs also. Witness was wearing a regulation cap and so was deceased. 'The condition of the hurdles had nothing to do with tho accident. The hurdles were very rigid. He would prefer that they should have more give in them. Personally, ho would prefer jumping over tho Riccarton hurdles than tho Wingatui hurdles. _ He had ridden over Riccarton hurdles in tho Grand National. Ho had been riding over hurdles for about 14 years. Ho preferred that a hurdle should bo staked instead of stayed. To Mi- Gillies: He would only ho the width of Captain Sarto away when The Frenchman jumped tho third hurdlo. The hurdles were the regulation height—3ft 6in. Ho could not recollect anyone being killed at this fence before. The fatal accident which took place at Wingatui last year was in a steeplechase. Deceased was a good jockey over sticks. Captain Sarto was a' good jumper. Mr Currie (stipendiary steward) inspected witness before ho went out in the hurdle race to see if be had his skull cap on. He knew deceased was wearing hia skull cap, as ho saw him adjusting it before ho donned his colours. Albert Edward Ellis, a jockey, residing at Mosgiel, said ho had the mount on Penury Rose in tho hurdle race in which tho deceased Keene was riding. Witness was five or six lengths behind Tenterfield and Captain Sarto when they jumped tho third hurdle. Ho noticed deceased lying on the ground when he (witness) jumped the hurdle. He did not see him struck. Witness wore a regulation cap, but be could not say whether deceased was wearing one or not. Ho did not think there was anything wrong with the construction of tho hurdles at Wingatui, compared with Riccarton. To Mr Gillies : He did not see what happened to Captain Sarto. Witness had ridden at Riccarton. He had not found the Riccarton hurdles easier do ride aver than the AVingatui ones. Ho knew the construction of both sets of hurdles. The hurdles on tho AA’ollington Racing Club’s course wore constructed similarly to those on tho Riccarton course. To Mr Payne: He had ridden in more hurdle races at Wingatui than any other jockey, and he was quite satisfied with the hurdles there. He thought the hurdles there were all that they ought to ..be for tho protection of both horse and jockey. To the Coronor: He thought the hurdles at Riccarton might he easier for a bad jumper than the Wingatui hurdles were, especially if tho horse struck them with his hind feet. To Mr Payne: Tho latter remark applied to a horse striking with hie hind feet only. It, would have no application to a horse striking with his fore feet. To Mr Gillies': He did not think the manner in which the hurdle was stayed had anything to do with the accident at all. Charles Christie, a horse trainer, residing at AVingatui, said he was present at the D.J.G. winter meeting on Juno 4, and witnessed tile accident. At the third jump Captain Sarto put in an extra stride and did not rise. Tenterfield conid only land on top of the fallen horse. It was impossible for him to have landed elsewhere. Keene was thrown quite clear of his horse, ana, while in the act of rising, he assumed Tenterfield struck him. He viewed lhe accident from the trainers’ stand. To Mr Payne; He knew tho construction of the hurdles at AVingatui. He confdderod that the hurdles there compared more than favourably with tho hurdles at AVelbngion and Riccarton. 'lhe hurdles at AVingatui were similar to (hose in use in Auckland and Rundwick. 'Hie Wingatui hurdles were easier f o negotiate than were the hurdles rd liandwiek. They were not to straight up and down.

To the Coroner: In Captain Sartos case it would not have mattered what hurdle was used; it would not have prevented the accident. He wa> not prepared lo favour non-rigid as compared with rigid hurdles. James Alexander Crawford, caretaker at the Wingatui course, said he supervised the erection of all hurdles on Wingatui race days. Ho explained the method of erecting the hurdles. The method of creeling the hurdles had been improved of recent years. To Mr (Tillies: Ho had previously erected hurdles with stakes. Ho had clone this for tiro past 18 years. lie considered tire staked hurdle was a more dangerous one than the one at present in use. Had a staked flight of hurdles been struck as they were struck by Captain Sarto half the flight would have been down. To the Coroner; The present type of hurdle had been in nso for five meetings. To Mr Payne: He ha.cl supervised the erection of hurdles at Wingatui for the past 19j years. The D.J.C. had given a deal of consideration to (he onestion of hurdles, and as a result had erected the hurdles at present in use. These hurdles had been erected at, great expense. In his opinion, they were the safest hurdles both for man and horse. Constable Findlay, stationed at Mosgiel, said he was present at the Wingatui winter meeting on the second day. He accompanied the ambulance to (ho scene of (lie accident. Ho found Keene lying on the 1 ground. Ho was quite conscious. He was placed in the ambulance and conveyed to the dressing shed. Witness asked him hew he came to fall, and he said his horse did not rise a foot, and he was struck by one of the horses following. Deceased was convoyed to Dunedin Hospital in the ambulance. In company with Mr Crawford, the caretaker, witness inspected the hurdles at Wingatui last Wednesday, when sketches and photographs wore taken of them. The Coroner reviewed the evidence at length. He said the accident was a most unfortunate one, following us it did a fatality last year. Exhaustive evidence had been given by several jockeys as to how the accident happened, and that evidence had not been disputed. It appeared that Captain Sarto failed to rise at the third hurdle, and deceased was thrown. Tenterfield was following, and his hoofs struck deceased. It was perfectly clear that there was nothing in the actual riding conditions which could have contributed to the accident. Captain Sarto’s failure to rise was one of those unexplained accidents. Deceased was an experienced rider. The question was: Could the hurdles be made any safer? The evidence showed that the hurdles wore constructed and erected according to standard, and that exactly similar hurdles were in use in Auckland. The only criticism which had been levelled at the typo of hurdle adopted at Wingatui was that they wore rigid, whereas the hurdles in use at Riocarton and Wellington were non-rigid. It was difficult for him (the coroner) io form any opinion on this point, hut he did not think that this affocled the case under consideration. It appeared to him to have been pure misadventure, and there wn,s nothing in the raoing conditions which contributed to it. Ho could only express sympathy with the relatives, hut it had to be remembered that there was an clement of risk in all K|>ort. The verdict would bo that deceased’s death was duo to a fractured skull with a complication of meningitis, caused bv being kicked by a horse at the Dunedin Jockey Chib's meeting on Juno 4.