Final race at Gowran abandoned due to safety concerns The final race at Gowran this evening was abandoned after jockeys were unhappy with the safety of the bend just after the stands. Donagh O’Connor was unseated from Eternal Echo at the same bend in the previous race, and a number of riders reported their mounts slipped at the same point. Thankfully O’Connor was able to walk away from the incident and appeared fine. A delegation of riders including Colin Keane, Shane Foley, Ben Coen and Niall McCullagh inspected the bend in company with the stewards and officials. Coen had reported that his mount slipped in the previous race while Foley described the bend as dangerously slippy. Sadhbh Tormey was also unseated from Celtic Druid at the same bend after the line after here mount slipped and stumbled. The IHRB issued a statement saying: Following the running of race six the Raceday Stewards met with a delegation of senior riders, the IHRB Clerk of the Course, IHRB Doctor and the Racecourse Manager to inspect the bend past the stands. Having inspected the track the Raceday Stewards, in the interest of safety for both horse and rider, made the decision to abandon the final race.
