THIS is the shocking moment a horse smacked William Buick in the face – leaving the jockey needing medical attention.
In a drama-filled first race on Derby day, the horse Buick was on, Blue Trail, then ran off without Buick and impeded the eventual runner-up from almost certainly winning.
Buick was in the stalls ready to jump out on second-favourite Blue Trail
Approachability, the horse in the next stall, reaches over and clocks Buick in the face
The jockey recoils in shock and pain after being caught totally unaware
Buick held onto the stalls as his horse ran out, influencing the outcome of the race
The crazy scenes came in the 2.00 when Approachability, in the stalls next to Buick, reached his head across.
Rearing up with his neck, the horse clattered the full force of his skull into Buick’s.
The jockey was wearing his helmet but was caught totally cold by the powerful collision.
It happened just as the stalls opened so, still reeling, Buick just held onto the side of the stall.
Buick’s horse Blue Trail and Approachability took off, but the Godolphin-retained rider was left at the start.
Legendary American jockey Steve Cauthen said on ITV: “I’ve never seen that before. Wow.
“He reared up with the full power of his neck – a horse’s head is solid. That’s like a knockout punch.
“I’m sure Will was stunned. He might have hurt himself if he had stayed on his horse.”
TV pictures showed Buick getting checked over by the on-course medics.
He was reported to be OK following the race, meaning he keeps his red-hot ride on Derby third-favourite Nations Pride.
The drama did not end there as Blue Trail ran off riderless and, according to jockey Tom Marquand, cost him victory.
Marquand was a rapid finisher on 25-1 Grenoble and closing all the time on 7-1 Swilcan Bridge.
But Blue Trail cut in front of Grenoble just strides before the post, impeding his fast-finishing run.
Swilcan Bridge, under Hayley Turner, was away from the trouble and just held on by the narrowest of margins.
A delighted Turner said: “We were just staying behind the loose horse, he could have gone left or right. I had to be really careful.
“He gave me a nice lead actually and something to chase up to the line.”
