Ghostwriter taken for observation after ‘freak’ pre-race accident

Ghostwriter was taken to Newmarket Equine Hospital for further observation after rearing up in the pre-parade ring prior to his planned appearance in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.

Bought by Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation for £2million on the eve of Royal Ascot, Clive Cox’s stable star made a promising start for his new connections when third in the Hardwicke Stakes.

The four-year-old was set to go off the hot favourite for the Group Two feature on day one of the July meeting, but had to be withdrawn after a ‘freak’ pre-race spill.

Cox said: “It was a freak accident, we hadn’t even done the girths up, we’d just put the pads on him and I’m not even sure what startled him really.

“He reared up and lost his footing and sat right on his rump behind. He was definitely lame as a consequence, so he was taken back to the stable yard and immediately shipped to the NEH (Newmarket Equine Hospital) for further observation.

“Hopefully it’s nothing more than bruising, that would be the first opinion of the vets, but we’re going to keep him at the vets overnight just to be absolutely sure. He’s got the right people around him just in case.

“You couldn’t make it up and it was nobody’s fault – it was just freaky. I think he just lost his balance.”