A SERIES OF SPILLS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 36

A SERIES OF SPILLS.

If on any of our colonial courses nine spills occurred in one day we should be having demands for an inquiry as to whether the track was safe or the obstacles fair. Yet it does not seem to be suggested that any inquiry is necessary with respect to the Lingfield (Eng.) course, while this was the casualty record on February 21. The most serious mishap was sustained by C. James, who, through the falling of Buffalo at the water iv the St. Piers Steeplechase, had his ribs badly crushed, and he was removed on a stretcher to the ambulance room in great pain. W. Donnelly, whose mount came to grief in the same race, received a bad contusion in the region of the abdomen ; but Driscoll, who was on Kidnapper, happily escaped with nothing worse than a shaking. In the New Selling Steeplechase Lord William and Yedo came down, but the jockeys of both were unhurt. Through the falling of Lord Bruce in the Hever Hurdle Handicap, Stainton unfortunately broke his collar-bone, but though grave fears were entertained that J. Jones, A. Birch and Parvin (the respective riders of Virginian Roe, Irish Knight, and Barcombe) had sustained serious injuries when they fell all of a heap at the first hurdles in the straight when taking part in the Surrey Hurdle Handicap, fortunately they were only knocked out for a time, and were able to walk back, though each received a very bad shaking.