Kentucky drivers were witnesses to the true meaning of horsepower when an Ellis Park racehorse escaped before its race and ran for 30 minutes along multiple interstate highways.
Living up to its name, two-year-old filly Bold and Bossy crossed state lines into nearby Indiana by heading north in the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 41, sparking a police pursuit and a caravan of worried trainers.
Just minutes before its first race at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., the filly was reportedly startled by another horse before bucking its jockey on the way to the the start gates, trainer Michael Ann Ewing told NBC. In full race gear, including blinders and a yellow No. 4 racing saddle, Bold and Bossy eventually made its way onto Interstate 69 before being corralled by a county sheriff and a handful of bystanders, according to Indiana news outlet 14 News.
The filly was then treated for dehydration and a lesion on its leg after losing a couple of horseshoes. Jack Hancock, a trainer who gave chase, said the Lexington-based horse's blinders likely made it more difficult to stop, along with its unfamiliarity with the area.
“She couldn’t see anything beside her, so that made it a little worse trying to catch her,” Hancock told the Associated Press. ”I've been here all my life and I’ve never seen one to do a run like this, not that far and not that much highway."
After skipping its first race for a long-distance, interstate jaunt, it's unclear whether Bold and Bossy will ever make her racing debut. However, Ewing was optimistic about its chances.
"Apparently, she can run," Ewing said.
