Golf and horse racing are better sports when they are not combined. If you need any proof, look no further than what happened at Sundown Park Racecourse in England yesterday where two jockeys had to dodge a golf ball mid-race. Would’ve been nice if somebody yelled “FORE!”
The frightening occurrence took place as the horses were coming down the stretch when the leader appeared to kick up a golf ball, which hit a jockey just behind in the helmet. It then ricocheted across the track, like Keith Hernandez’s “Magic Loogie” in Seinfeld, startling another horse who tossed her rider clear off. Thankfully, nobody was injured.
“It happened so fast I didn’t know what had caused it but you can see on the replay it hit Charlie’s helmet and straight across in front of my filly’s face,” said Fox, the jockey who was ejected from his horse according to the Telegraph.
A golf ball hit a jockeys head in a race , not sure if the same happened to our jockey today as he completely stopped riding
— Tim Woolley (@timwoolleyracin) September 9, 2016
So how in the world did a golf ball get on the track in the first place? Considering it’s built next to a golf course, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Play is not allowed during races and the crew scourers the grass for any strays, but that doesn’t mean one can’t burrow.
“The reality is that you’ve got four or five inches of grass there, and as the track is next to the course, you’re going to get balls and you often have to step on them to know they are there,” said Andrew Cooper, clerk of the golf course.
Sources haven’t been able to confirm the identity of the ball, but all indications say that it’s probably a Titleist.
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