A HORROR crash that flipped a lorry upside down tragically killed one horse and ‘took the skin off’ four others.
But miraculously, trainer Todd Howlett, who was driving the truck when it rolled, escaped serious injury.
An amazing photo captured the carnage after Australian trainer Howlett lost control in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
He had been driving horses to the gallops for a morning workout when disaster struck on the 545-mile New England Highway that stretches from New South Wales to Queensland.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash near Belford, New South Wales.
But, sadly, the damage was sufficient to take the life of one horse.
And those that survived were left with injuries that will stop them from racing for the foreseeable future.
Howlett, who has saddled 368 winners and won almost £4million in prize money, said he was lucky to escape the chaos.
He told Racenet: “I’m a bit sore and pretty shook up. When I was out of control it was pretty scary.
“My neck is pretty stiff and generally I’m pretty sore all over.
“I’m just grateful to everyone that helped – the emergency services, bystanders and vet.”
One of the five horses in the truck was Toto, a runner for this Sunday’s Tamworth Country Championships.
Fortunately, that horse made it out, but one sadly perished.
Howlett said: “I was taking Toto up for a gallop ahead of Sunday.
“He, like the other horses that made it home, won’t be going to the races for a while, they’re pretty battered and bruised, skin off them everywhere.
“Unfortunately, one of the five didn’t make it home.”
Howlett’s rollover horror came before fellow Australian trainer Brett Scott was airlifted to hospital while fighting for his life.
The 50-year-old father and husband was kicked in the head by a horse during a training incident and has been placed in an induced coma with a bleed on the brain.
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