Freedom bid: Savannah Moon recovered near A1 after running loose at Newcastle

There was loose-horse drama at Newcastle on Monday evening as Savannah Moon, who had already unseated Tom Eaves in a fall in which the jockey broke his leg in three places, managed to escape the confines of the racecourse before being recovered heading towards the A1.

After a lengthy pursuit, the four-year-old filly was eventually caught by members of the public, including an unnamed ex-jockey turned taxi driver and brought back to the course, just as she headed towards the Great North Road.

Clerk of the course James Armstrong said on Tuesday: "Normally riderless horses pull themselves up with the field, but Savannah Moon carried on and then turned right at the mile-and-a-quarter start. She evaded our stalls handlers and then broke through the rails and got on to the golf course."

Having taken in the second and 18th holes on the Northumberland Golf Course which is situated next to the track, Savannah Moon then managed to get behind the clubhouse and out of the grounds of Gosforth Park, and headed towards the Great North Road, where her break for freedom came to an end.

The course will be reviewing the incident in a bid to ensure it does not happen again, and Armstrong, added: "It's something that has never happened in my 18 years in the job. We got Savannah Moon back to the track and had her checked over and luckily there wasn't a scratch on her."

Eaves is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering his serious injury in the fall on the Kevin Ryan-trained filly in the 1m2f handicap, which occurred after Savannah Moon stumbled badly after clipping heels, unseating her rider in the process.

The jockey stood himself down for the rest of the card, and managed to walk back to the weighing room unaided. But an x-ray on Tuesday morning revealed Eaves had broken his right fibula in three places.

Newcastle: drama at the track on Monday eveningCredit: John Grossick

"I was sore and went to a physio who recommended I get an x-ray," said Eaves on Tuesday morning. "I'll be in a full pot [cast] for six weeks but that's the way things go. I'll get back soon as I can."

Eaves has ridden 31 winners in 2018 and had been enjoying a fine season with sprinter Brando, finishing runner-up in the July Cup and more recently Haydock's Sprint Cup.

"He's the one I'm gutted about [missing]," Eaves added.

Tom Eaves: set for a lengthy spell on the sidelinesCredit: John Grossick

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