Blind not removed at start at Musselburgh

[Viva Pataca]

In the 17:20 race at Musselburgh yesterday, the rider of Koo And The Gang did not remove the blind before the gate opened. The horse immediately unseated the jockey and then steered to his right and ran away with the blind still on.

http://horses.sportinglife.com/Full_...364006,00.html

I thought I have seen a lot of racing but this is the first time seeing this I recall. Quite scary. Was anyone penalized? One could make a case that he is a non-starter.

[Dawn Run]

A similar thing happened at Kempton last year when a blindfolded horse broke out of the starting gate and jumped into the nearby lake! He emerged unscathed.

[Viva Pataca]

[quote author=Dawn Run link=topic=42087.msg925790#msg925790 date=1270501610]
A similar thing happened at Kempton last year when a blindfolded horse broke out of the starting gate and jumped into the nearby lake! He emerged unscathed.
[/quote]

So did he break out before official start of the gate? Was he deemed a non-starter?

[Dawn Run]

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/n...G_Kempton.html