On Saturday, during a meeting exclusively dedicated to gallop on the Hippodrome of the Hunaudières, at Le Mans (Sarthe), three horses died on the track, while several others were injured. An unusual massacre in a discipline where such accidents are extremely rare. The emotion is lively, and the criticisms have shot, especially on the part of the young coach Anastasia Wattel, who denounces a “refusal to listen” and the inaction of the commissioners despite his repeated alerts, reports Ouest-France.
In an open letter published on Galloping dayit deplores the passivity of the officials after the first accidents. “During the second race, my horse broke in the middle of the track. At that time, another horse was also damaged a few meters, the same knee fracture. Two dead in a single race. Two alarm signals. And no red flag. Despite his request to suspend the races and reassess the state of the land, the organizers would not have reacted.
Ten horses declared non -leaving
In response, Christian Bazire, president of the Le Mans racing company, defended himself in the columns of Ouest-France. “The words of Anastasia Wattel are hard. I understand his pain. But we took things seriously after the first incidents. The technical checks carried out the same day using a penetrometer would have indicated a “light” track, according to the Protocol de France Galop.
Our file on horses
Despite these verifications, the day was marked by ten horses declared non -leaving, strengthening doubts on security conditions. For its part, France Galop has returned the responsibility of the event to the Organizing Company. A technical meeting is scheduled for this Tuesday on site to try to explain this black series. Thursday, a new meeting will be held at the Hippodrome of the Hunaudières, this time devoted to the trotting on a sand track.
