UK-Racehorse missing feared dead..

An old favourite of mine...


A trainer whose racehorse ran loose onto a military firing range last week is beginning to fear the worst.

Trainer Philip Sharp is appealing for information after Zimbabwe threw his rider on Camber Sands in Kent last Friday (8 January), and ran onto Ministry of Defence property.

The horse has not been seen since.

Zimbabwe, who won six races from 22 starts — including the 2003 Irish Cesarwitch while he was in training with John Oxx — ran onto the 22-square mile site that reportedly contains several unexploded bombs.

"We went to Camber Sands as the heavy snow left us with nowhere to train. But then the horse unseated his rider and bolted onto the firing range," Mr Sharp told H&H.

"We didn't follow him as it said 'danger, keep out' on the fence so called the police from the beach.

"But when they arrived the police were not allowed onto the property to catch the horse. The security company was extremely unhelpful. They saw the horse on CCTV but wouldn't let us in to get him. Now he hasn't been seen for over a week."

The site, which has a 12ft fence around it, has several ditches and heavy brush.

Mr Sharp, who has owned Zimbabwe for a year and a half, has made appeals on local TV and radio stations.

"We rebelled and illegally looked around the property last weekend, but an army search party went round on Monday and found nothing.

"He could have run out the beach side, which is not fenced, but we probably would have found him by now.

"It's highly unlikely we'll find him now though, they've been shooting there all week. He's either dead in brush or has been found somewhere and then stolen, he's a good looking dark bay horse and was a good runner in his day."

The horse is 16hh and is microchipped.

Its a conspiracy he's spying for Bob

Hope he is with Shergar?

If my memory serves me, was a very difficult ride was Zimbabwe.

Horse lost on firing range 'probably dead' - owner


THE owner-trainer of the hurdler who galloped loose onto a military firing range in Kent accepted on Friday that the six-time winner "is most probably dead" having been missing for a week.

Owned and trained by Philip Sharp, Zimbabwe escaped onto the 22 square mile range after unseating his rider while being exercised on adjacent Camber Sands.

"It has been a week now," said Sharp, "and I reluctantly must accept that poor Zimbabwe is most probably dead.


"My worst fear is that he is out there somewhere badly injured and suffering terribly. I'm desperately anxious to find him, and then at least I can give him a proper burial."

Sharp has not been allowed to conduct a thorough search of the Ministry of Defence's property due to security restrictions and added: "It is also ridiculous that three sides of the range have 12ft high razor-topped fencing, while there is no protection whatsoever from the beach - children have wandered off across the dunes onto the site.

"I wanted to get a helicopter up with an infrared camera, but they wouldn't let me."

Sharp also said that he considered it unlikely that the horse had returned to the beach and drowned,explaining: "I checked with the coastguard and they've had no reports of a horse being washed up."

An MOD spokesman said they were doing everything possible to find the 10-year-old, whose wins include the 2003 Irish Cesarewitch for his breeder Sheikh Mohammed and former trainer John Oxx. His most recent win came in a Fontwell selling hurdle in April 2007, when trained by Gary Moore.

Typical military "intelligence". Box in three sides with every high tech gizmo and leave the fourth side wide open. Makes perfect sense!

We are British magic, stiff upper lip, have to give the Huns a fair chance to escape.

lol

Funny how they won`t let them in to search for a Horse,but they let that animal Jeremy Clarkson be chased by tanks on the same range..

Yes I remember that Hibby on the top gear show that my son watches 24/7!