Man in his 50s dies following stable yard incident at Kempton
BY GRAHAM DENCH6:32AM 15 OCT 2017
Racing is in mourning on Sunday following a man in his 50s died in a stable yard incident at Kempton on Saturday evening.
A police investigation is under way into the incident that prompted officials at the Sunbury track to abandon the remainder of the meeting before the second-last race.
"Surrey Police were called to Kempton Park racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames following a report of a sudden death around 9.20pm on Saturday October 14," a force spokeswoman said.
"A man in his 50s was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries remain ongoing."
Racegoers were not aware of the medical emergency before the announcement to abandon racing was made over the public address system before the 8.45 race.
The stewards' report from Kempton read: "The stewards held an enquiry following a report from the clerk of the course that a serious incident had occurred in the stable yard prior to race seven.
"They interviewed the clerk of the course who was representing the racecourse executive.
"The clerk of the course stated that the racecourse executive had taken the decision to abandon the remainder of the evening’s racing due to the doctors needing to attend a medical emergency, rendering the course no longer medically compliant to continue racing. This decision was sanctioned by the stewards."
Anyone affected by the incident can seek support through Racing Welfare. There is a 24-hour helpline on 0800 6300 443 and online live chat is also available at
www.support.racingwelfare.co.uk
Racing world reacts
Robert Cowell (@cowellracing)
So very sad to hear of an awful tragedy at Kempton this evening. The grooms/riders are the life of our industry. Respect and condolences. RIP
Olly Murphy (@O_J_murphy91)
Such tragic news coming from Kempton tonight. All our thoughts from all at Warren Chase go out to the family and those involved
Michael O’Callaghan (@MDOCallaghan)
Very sad news from Kempton this evening. RIP to the stable lad who died serving our sport. The second terrible tragedy this year
Eve Johnson Houghton (@johnsonhoughton)
Dreadful news from Kempton. Thoughts are with the stable lad, his family and the yard he works in
Martin Keighley (@martinkeighley7)
Tragic news from Kempton last night. Condolences to all involved from the whole team here. RIP
Ed Dunlop
Horses are beautiful animals but they can also be incredibly dangerous and it was terrible to hear of the tragedy at Kempton last night. Everyone in the racing community is thinking of everyone closely involved and it's extremely sad that someone dedicated to our sport has lost their life in such tragic circumstances
The NTF (@NTFnews)
Tragic news from Kempton tonight. Our thoughts with all involved, family, friends and colleagues
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