Hryhorec’s heroics

NOT all heroes wear capes.

That’s something South Australian horseman Ryan Hryhorec reminded onlookers of last night.

Making one of his regular trips to Mildura, Hryhorec was watching from the sidelines before springing to action as a horrific accident unfolded before the start of Race 10.

In what was described as “a stack” as though a couple of BMX’s crashed, the extremely-dangerous moment occurred when Alittlebitofftap, which had drawn barrier four, swang sideways as the field approached the mobile.

With Alittlebitofftap stopping directly in front of him and left with nowhere to go from the second row, Overreaction attempted to jump the approaching obstacle, but instead became entangled, causing the two pacers to crash to the ground and catapult their drivers from the sulkies.

The aftermath also saw Luke Watson dislodged from the cart behind Springfield Shadow, which resulted in the gelding bolting around the track.

“I got past the initial crash but after those two got up and went over the running rail they started heading straight at me,” Watson explained.

“My horse spotted them go over the rail, which made a hell of a noise, which made him spin that quickly he turned one of the wheels up and tipped me out the cart.”

Enter Hryhorec who jumped the fence (minus the cape blowing in the wind) and caught Springfield Shadow before further carnage could be caused.

“He was running everywhere in a panic and had gone passed me twice,” Hryhorec said. “When I saw him heading back for a third time instinct kicked in and I jumped the fence to grab him.

“At that point I didn’t really think, I just reacted to save the horse and any possible damage.”

It’s not the first time Hryhorec has ‘saved the day’.

Several years ago Hryhorec ran into the middle of a track to prevent possible disaster after a runaway horse jumped the inside rail leaving the clerk of the course unable to reach him.

“Ryan showed again last night he is not just a trainer…he’s a horseman,” Watson said. “His actions certainly saved my sulky and a costly night, let alone what other damage could have been caused.”