If you’ve been around the harness racing industry long enough you probably think you’ve seen it all. That being said, have you ever seen two drivers cross the finish line in the same sulky after a near-miss accident?
As an article by punters.com.au explains, the occurrence happened Down Under on Sunday, February 26 in the Cup Day Fanatics Three-Year-Old Classic at the Charlton Harness Racing Club in Victoria.
Pocket Thedeal (driven by Glenn Douglas) had tipped out in the stretch in a move for the lead, but broke stride and started to lose ground. Knight Sky Safari (Michael Bellman) had been racing along the pylons.
The pair of horses locked wheels for an instant. Pocket Thedeal then flung Douglas laterally. Luckily enough, Douglas landed alongside Bellman in Knight Sky Safari’s sulky.
Knight Sky Safari and the pair of drivers crossed the finish line before Douglas hopped out of the bike to try to corral Pocket Thedeal, who ultimately had to be rounded up by the outrider.
(With files from punters.com.au)
To Philip's comment, here's
To Philip's comment, here's more on that finish with John Chapman.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/3-5-17/feedback-unique-finish.html
-jp
Hey there Phillip the same
Hey there Phillip the same thing occurred @ WFR in the 70s with Allan Morrison, he had a passenger when finishing, think he was 2nd or third. Have a good day.
This article reads like this
This article reads like this is a unique or first time occurrence but in reality there have been multiple cases of two drivers ending up in the same bike. I have a fuzzy memory of one many years ago at Buffalo where if that horse didn't actually win the race it finished very close but unfortunately I can't remember the drivers involved, the horse or the date. It may have been Johnny Chapman? Maybe some track historians have some records in their archives? Personally I did end up on the same bike as Retta Herrington following an accident at Belleville many many years ago but unfortunately we didn't finish that race!