'It's amazing he's walked away like that' - Niall Houlihan out of hospital following Fontwell fall

Niall Houlihan required three stitches under his chin after being taken to hospital following a fall in the 3m2f handicap hurdle at Fontwell on Friday evening.

Houlihan was leading the field on the Nick Gifford-trained Drumheller before being unshipped from the horse after a mistake at the third hurdle. The rest of the field pulled up before the sixth hurdle and the race was voided as Houlihan was attended to on course.

Speaking at Sandown on Saturday, trainer Gary Moore said: "Niall is fine. All he's got is three stitches under his chin and it's amazing he's walked away like that. He's been very lucky and was back home at 12.30am that night." 

An inquiry was held to consider the circumstances surrounding the deployment of the ‘stop race’ flag following the fall.

The stewards' report read: "The clerk of the course explained that the position of the stricken rider after the hurdle meant there was insufficient room for the runners to bypass safely and therefore, he took the decision to initiate the ‘stop race’ procedure. The stewards declared the race void and ordered a report to be forwarded to the head office of the British Horseracing Authority."

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