Horse Race Abandoned After Jockeys Forced To Avoid Oncoming Ambulance

A horse race in the United States had to be abandoned after a horrifying near-miss with an oncoming ambulance.

The race took place at the Evangeline Downs course in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana on Saturday night.

Eight races were due to take place on the card, with the eighth and final race being ran over 870 yards.

All eight horses successfully emerged from the traps to start the race, but as they rounded the first curve, several horses sharply veered from the left towards the centre of the track.

That was because an ambulance had inadvertently entered the track and was driving the wrong way down it at speed - straight into the path of the oncoming horses.

Fortunately, the quick-thinking actions of the jockeys and the horses themselves meant that there were no injuries, with all eight entrants going on to complete the race.

Horse racing pundit Kevin Blake posted footage of the incident to social media, writing: "This might well be the most terrifying near miss I've ever seen in a horse race. Incredible reactions from the jockeys and horses."

The leaderboard showed that One Fast Cajun had crossed the line in first place, but the result was later voided by the race organisers.

The live broadcast announcer perhaps underestimated the seriousness of the incident by stating: "A little incident on the turn there, with the ambulance a little out of position."

An on-site ambulance is present at every race meeting to provide medical attention to jockeys and horses if required, but the reason why it was on the track in the first place is unclear.

The Evangeline Downs course first opened in 1966, and also operates a casino. It has previously hosted boxing cards.

It was initially stationed in nearby Lafayette, Lousiana, before moving to its current location in 2003 after Lafayette implemented a strict ban on video poker.