Top Aussie racehorse spooked by freak hailstorm

By Justine Thompson

General news

08 March 2010 16:58

A top Australian racehorse is fighting for his life after being spooked in a freak hailstorm.

The horse, King Pulse, took fright as the hail and thunderstorm poured almost 40 millimeters of rainwater onto the Flemington racecourse in the space of just 10 minutes.

The multimillion-dollar colt ran back through a tunnel towards the stables when the unexpected storm hit, and went straight into a fence in the yard.

He received a number of potentially serious injuries including multiple bruises and suspected internal bleeding, but was eventually brought under control by the clerk of the course. The horse is now facing surgery.

Stableman Anthony Feroce said the horse “Slipped over on the hail and tried to get up and then slipped over again.He got up again and then bolted."

The racecourse was awash after the storm, with flash floods hitting the ground-floor bars and car parks as well as the grandstands, where water was running down some of the walls.