Race voided at Wolverhampton after Dane O'Neill fall

The opening race on Wolverhampton’s Tuesday card was voided after Dane O’Neill took a fall from Eagle Eyed Tom.

The gelding, who is trained by Charlie Hills, seemed to stumble and clip heels when leaving the stalls for the 1m1½f handicap and unseated O’Neill in the first few moments of the contest.

The race was stopped abruptly before it could be completed and O’Neill was attended to on the track before reportedly being taken off on a stretcher.

The Group One-winning rider had been booked for two other rides on the card - Daliso in the 3.05pm (the filly was ridden by Ben Curtis) and Dyed In The Wool in the 6f handicap (4.15pm).

There was an 11-minute delay to the second race as O’Neill was taken to hospital for further assessment.

Fergus Cameron, clerk of the course at Wolverhampton, said: “Dane sustained a fall after leaving the stalls in the first race, which was then voided.

“He was treated on track by our paramedics and was conscious throughout. He was then taken in an ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for further assessment.”

The stewards inquired into the incident and their report said: “The clerk of the course and the jockeys who had ridden in the race excluding Dane O’Neill, were interviewed.

“The clerk of the course explained that as the injured jockey was being attended to on the course in the home straight, and that it was not possible for the rest of the field to safely pass, the decision was made in conjunction with the head groundsman to initiate the ‘stop race’ procedure and deploy the ‘stop race’ flag. The stewards declared the race void.”

The next race on the card was won by Richard Hughes’ Value Added, owned by the King and Queen and ridden by William Buick.

The three-year-old was the 11-8 favourite and duly delivered when making almost all of the running to score by a length.

“We’ve always liked her but we’ve had one or two issue with the stalls,” Hughes told Sky Sports Racing.

“The last day she ran a good race at Windsor, it doesn’t suit all of them and she was a little bit lairy.

“She went around today lovely and I loved the way he kicked on her and she opened up, that’s important.

“I just loved the way she quickened today, she got her head down and she ran to the line good.”