Horse takes bite out of rival jockey as they race towards the finish
CHOMP to victory! Moment horse takes bite out of rival jockey as they race towards the finish line
- A filly at the Maisons-Laffitte in France tried to take a bite out of a fellow racer
- The three-year-old filly Palomba, chomped at jockey Francois-Xavier Bertras
- The jockey was left unharmed but he and his horse were bewildered at the bite
A racing jockey had to battle it out with a rival horse at the Maisons-Laffitte race-course when it tried to take a bite out of his arm.
Francois-Xavier Bertras was riding the rail in a battle to be first past the post when the rival filly, Palomba, reached out to nip at his arm.
The pair can be seen locked into a battle for first as they gallop along clearing the last turn into the final straight.
Appearing frustrated by Francois pulling ahead, the filly raises her head mid run and snatches at the his silks.
Unperturbed by the rude interference, Francois continued to pull ahead carried by his three-year-old chestnut filly, Lucky lycra.
The pair had ran a blistering full mile and six furlongs beating off competitors over good ground.
Palomba (second right) and Lucky Lycra (right) were firmly in the lead pulling into the final few furlongs before the finish line
In a visible sign of frustration Palomba rears her head to nibble at Francois’s arm as he presses into the lead
Despite becoming a strange mid-race meal Francois and Lucky Lycra went on to run the race but the event left both horse and rider as ‘shocked as each other.’
Speaking to the Racing Post about the strange behavior Francois said: ‘It was a pretty strange sensation because the filly came alongside and then ducked her head at me while in full flight. It was quite amazing.
‘We watched the race back with the stewards and you can see she has me by the arm three times – it was pretty funny to see.
‘My filly didn’t flinch or break stride but she was quite surprised and didn’t understand exactly what had happened. You could say we were as shocked as each other.’
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