THIS is the terrifying moment jockey Marco Ghiani is flung from a horse at 40mph and sent spinning over the track.
Miraculously, the jockey and new dad escaped serious injury following the horrific incident at Lingfield on Thursday evening.
The Italian rider was labelled a ‘man of steel’ for getting back to his feet just minutes after being unseated.
Though TV coverage did show him getting into the back of an ambulance and he was stood down from the rest of his rides that night.
Ghiani, the leading apprentice rider in the country, looked in total control on 15-2 shot Papa Stour.
Driving the six-year-old Stuart Williams-trained horse for home around the bend, Ghiani seemed in pole position to win the £50,000 Racing League contest.
But eagle-eyed punters noticed his saddle was slipping half-way down the straight and that was when disaster struck.
Travelling at 41mph, Italian Ghiani fell to the right of his mount and tried his best to cling on.
But the momentum was too much and he lost his grip, falling to the track as a horse behind charged over the top of him.
The jockey was sent hurtling upside-down and a second horse then looked to give him a kicking as it thundered past.
Ghiani was left lying on the course as Papa Stour bolted off, his run finally ending when he jumped through the rail just past the finish post.
Fortunately the horse was unhurt and Ghiani was soon shown getting back to his feet while being attended to by medics.
Sky Sports Racing presenter Josh Apiafi praised Ghiani for being ‘made of steel’ after the fall.
‘IRON MAN MARCO’
One punter who witnessed the incident said: “Saw the race and feared the worst. So glad that both are OK.”
Another wrote: “Really thought this was going to be a bad one. Looked horrible in real time.
“Jockeys have taken lesser falls and come off much worse. Good to see Marco getting up and talking quickly.”
A fellow racing fan posted on Twitter: “Dusted himself down. Looked like he’d just fallen out of bed #IronManMarco.”
Another said: “Heart stopped at that moment, so glad he’s OK.”
While another wrote: “Balls of steel!”
As is customary after a fall, Ghiani, 22, hopped into the back of an on-course ambulance for a closer look at any injuries.
He seemed to be OK by the end of the night though, even responding to a video of his fall with the peace symbol emoji.
The race was eventually won by Hayley Turner on 9-2 Typhoon Ten.
Ghiani has been labelled the next Frankie Dettori.
He hails from Sardinia, just like the world’s most famous jockey, and travelled to Newmarket to learn his trade under famed trainer Luca Cumani – again, just like Dettori.
However, the promising young apprentice told SunSport that, while flattered by the comparisons, he is very much his own man.
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