TRAGEDY hit Wetherby races as 1-100 certain winner Anaconda suffered a fatal injury when miles clear at the last.
The 4-5 favourite was a class above rivals in the 2m juvenile hurdle contest under 5lb claimer jockey Jack Power.
Powering in front of rivals the whole way round, he was 20, 25, 30 – even 60 lengths clear and simply not for catching for Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell.
Some £5,000 was matched on the pair at the lowest available price of 1.01 (1-100) on the Betfair Exchange as victory looked assured.
But it all went wrong at the final flight with the horse falling in a heap.
Sadly the injury the three-year-old gelding suffered proved to be fatal.
The death was confirmed by by Racing TV host Nick Lightfoot, while Chris Dixon, live at the track, labelled it a ‘horrible’ incident.
The 7-2 chance Genbu was the winner but even that horse’s owner said the victory didn’t matter given what had unfolded.
A post from Ursa Major Racing on X read: “That’s not how we want to win a race. We would’ve happily been second for Anaconda to be OK.
“All our thoughts are with @lucindavrussell and her team.”
One punter watching the action wrote: “RIP Anaconda. Sad part of this great game.”
While another said: “I was going to post they may have found the Triumph Hurdle winner here with Anaconda then that happens – cruel.”
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