TRAGEDY hit this 'extraordinary' horse race when a debut runner suffered a fatal fall half-way through.

There was drama before that when the two market leaders were withdrawn seconds before the off after one of them was kicked.

And then to cap it all off a 25-1 outsider nutted the subsequent favourite on the line in a photo finish.

The 2pm at Ayr had just about everything but will unfortunately be remembered for the tragic loss of 150-1 shot Nutwood Boy.

The two-year-old, making his debut, suffered a serious leg injury near the three furlong pole.

Jockey Paddy Mathers was sent flying as the horse went down but luckily avoided serious injury after being checked over by doctors.

Sadly, though, Nutwood Boy sustained fatal injuries to his leg.

The news was confirmed on Racing TV and a racing insider close to connections posted on Twitter: "The highs & lows of racing, following the fall in the second race at @ayrracecourse Nutwood Boy was sadly fatally injured & our thoughts are with all the team at @MikeSmithRacin1 & the owners The Five Bears.

"Thankfully @311_mathers escaped injury & is OK."

The track was checked over and racing continued after chiefs were happy there were no 'suspicious areas' that could lead to another incident.

Moments before that pre-race favourite Monsieur Jumbo got upset in the stalls and received a kick from a rival.

That meant he was withdrawn, along with second favourite Beltrane, who refused to enter the stalls.

The market changed dramatically in the seconds before the off, with Danny Tudhope's mount Stromboli promoted to 7-2 favourite.

And it looked like he would justify it until a whirlwind finish from 25-1 roughie St Andrew's Castle.

The Iain Jardine-trained runner, who had drifted from 18-1 for his debut race, finished like a train on the outside.

A dramatic photo finish was called, with stewards deciding St Andrew's Castle had just pipped the favourite in a head-bobber on the line.

No wonder one pundit labelled the action-packed contest 'extraordinary'.

Sadly, though, this was the second mid-race fatality to leave punters upset.

Saudi Derby winner Pink Kamehameha unfortunately suffered mid-race heart failure on Sunday.

Source: Read Full Article