Security will be tighter at Southwell racecourse in future, following the alleged assault on Aidan Coleman after the last race there on Tuesday. Jockeys’ representatives made a general call for all tracks to review their security arrangements in the cause of preventing a similar incident elsewhere.
A statement issued by David Roberts, the managing director of Southwell, described it as a “friendly, local track” where the safety of all visitors is of “paramount importance”. “We will be reviewing procedures and increasing the security presence around the changing rooms and across the racecourse,” said Roberts, who made a point of thanking those who restrained four people suspected of being responsible for the assault. It was reported that trainers and a racecourse official sat on one of the suspects until police arrived.
The foursome, two men and two women, spent much of Wednesday in custody before being released on police bail, according to Nottinghamshire police. Three of the four had been arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage, the fourth for obstructing officers.
Initial suggestions that the two men involved had forced a door to obtain access to the weighing room appear to have been wide of the mark. Racecourse officials now believe the back door to the weighing room had been left open by valets removing tack, as would commonly be the case 10 minutes after the final race of the day, when the incident happened.
It appears that the two men entered in search of a toilet and trouble ensued when they were asked to leave. It was at some point after this that the back door was damaged.
Security officers are employed within the weighing room only on the most high-profile racedays. Aside from those, courses are left to determine the extent of their own security needs.
Paul Struthers, the chief executive of the Professional Jockeys’ Association, welcomed the news that Southwell would enhance its security. “We would ask other racecourses to review their arrangements and satisfy themselves that this couldn’t happen at their track,” he said.
“One of the big attractions of horse racing is how close the public are able to get to the jockeys and how accessible they are and we would not want this to change. Thankfully, these incidents are very rare indeed but they undermine the confidence of jockeys and racegoers and highlight the importance of a responsible approach to alcohol sales and the need for appropriate security arrangements.”
Memories are fresh of the beer can that was thrown at Tony McCoy at Worcester last year, the most recent comparable incident. Five years ago, Kieren Fallon was punched by an owner as he dismounted at Lingfield, his assailant being banned from racing for three months and fined £10,000.
Coleman shrugged off both the incident and the media attention on Wednesday, fitting in a visit to the dentist to have his teeth repaired between riding out and taking a single mount at Chepstow, finishing fifth. “Us jump jockeys are a tough bunch,” he said.
The British Horseracing Authority said it wanted “to understand the circumstances which led to this situation” before commenting further.
“The police are conducting an investigation into the incident, to which we are assisting,” said Jamie Stier, the BHA’s head of raceday regulation. “We will continue to monitor the police investigation in order to ensure a proper understanding of the situation. We will also progress with our own investigation into the circumstances in which this totally unacceptable incident took place. Furthermore, we will be looking closely into the events with the racecourse management team at Southwell.”
