Racing back under way at Newbury after lengthy delay due to medical incident

Racing has resumed at Newbury after a delay due to a medical incident.

Races will be staged in 25- to 30-minute intervals, with the 2.10 starting at 3.35.

Runners for the second race, a novice handicap hurdle at 2.10, had originally left the parade ring and made their way to post, looking like they might race, but jockeys soon paused and screens were put up by the cross fence on the side of the course before the turn for home as officials made their way to the scene.

Gavin Sheehan dismounted from the Jamie Snowden-trained Idy Wood and his fellow weighing room colleagues soon cantered back to the parade ring.

"In order to allow sufficient time for the medical cover to get into position, all runners will return to the parade ring," a post from the BHA stewards account on X read.

Elaborating on that, chief steward Richard Westropp said: "We've got a slight delay. There's an ambulance man being attended to on the track and, because of his situation, we're unable to have the medical cover to follow the field round, hence we're bringing the runners back to the parade ring.

"We'll have to wait until the ambulance takes him off the track, and I'm not sure what the situation is with that."

Harry Cobden, who is leading the jump jockeys' championship, was due to ride Onethreefivenotout.

"I don't know what's happened," he said. "We went down there and the ambulances have rushed off to the other end of the course. There's obviously an incident with someone and we were down there for five or ten minutes, and the horses were getting warm.

"They sent us back to get the weight off the horses back as we don't want to be down there for 30 minutes walking round. We know as much as that."

According to Sky Sports Racing, an air ambulance had been called to the track. A public announcement was issued at 2.50pm, which revealed the track was awaiting the arrival of a critical care team, but was hopeful racing would resume after that.

That vehicle was seen arriving minutes later, although the runners for the 2.10 had left the parade ring and were back in the saddling enclosure.

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