Man Dies In Kempton Stableyard Incident

A man in his 50s has died following an incident in the stable yard at Kempton's all-weather fixture on Saturday evening, Surrey Police said.

Surrey Police said it was called to the Sunbury circuit following a report of a ''sudden death''.

An investigation is under way into the incident that prompted Kempton clerk of the course Barney Clifford to abandon the fixture with two races on the card remaining.

''Surrey Police were called to Kempton Park racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames following a report of a sudden death around 9.20pm on Saturday, October 14,'' a force spokeswoman said.

''A man in his 50s was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries remain ongoing.''

Clifford told the Press Association that a person had suffered ''a serious injury in the stable yard''.

A statement issued by the on-course Kempton stewards said that the meeting had to be abandoned when the doctors at the track had to "attend a medical emergency".

The statement read: "The stewards held an inquiry following a report from the clerk of the course that a serious incident had occurred in the stable yard prior to race seven.

"They interviewed the clerk of the course who was representing the racecourse executive.

"The clerk of the course stated that the racecourse executive had taken the decision to abandon the remainder of the evening's racing due to the doctors needing to attend a medical emergency, rendering the course no longer medically compliant to continue racing.

"This decision was sanctioned by the stewards."

A statement published on Kempton's Twitter account on Sunday morning read: "We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the training stables employee who passed away last night.

"Support is available 24hrs a day for anyone affected by the incident through the @Racingwelfare helpline, 0800 6300 443."

The British Horseracing Authority is assisting Surrey Police, but chief executive Nick Rust said details of the man's death and his identity cannot yet be made known.

Rust said in a statement: "The matter now sits with the Surrey police force and as such we are unable to provide further details regarding the individual involved and the exact nature of the incident at this time.

"My teams were assisting with their investigations last night and will continue to do so today. We ask that everyone shows respect and understanding to this process at present.

"I am sure that I speak for everyone at the BHA and everyone in British horseracing this morning when I state that we are truly devastated about the events which unfolded at Kempton Park last night.

"Our sympathies go to the family, friends and colleagues of the individual who has lost his life, and the entire industry will join in mourning over this tragedy.

"We owe so much in our sport to the racing grooms who provide such first-class care and attention to our horses.

"The love and attention that they give to their mounts is unconditional and comes with that small but ever-present level of risk that exists when working with large animals.

"This only serves to make their dedication so much more praiseworthy."