Latest news with #AlexHammond
Scottish Sun
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Scottish Sun
‘This is wild' – Race dramatically STOPPED after horses and jockeys pelted with ‘painful' hailstones
The crazy weather was captured on national TV Hail horror 'This is wild' – Race dramatically STOPPED after horses and jockeys pelted with 'painful' hailstones RACING in France was dramatically stopped as horses and jockeys were pelted by "painful" hailstones. Bad weather hit the centre of the country's jump racing in Auteuil, Paris, during the 3.07pm contest on Saturday. 1 Hail was seen falling on top of horses and jockeys during a race in Auteuil Credit: The track was hit by a flurry of hail mid-race as wind swept in a storm as competitors crossed the obstacles in the A. Veil-picard Hurdle. Runners were well spaced out when a warning siren indicated for jockeys to duck for cover, including British rider James Reveley. Many clocked on to the danger they were in and immediately pulled up to get under cover as huge balls of ice began raining down. The biblical pictures were captured live in Sky Sports TV cameras, with commentator Alex Hammond speaking about the remarkable situation. She said: "This is wild. "The hailstones are absolutely enormous, that will be really painful. They look the size of golf balls." Leaves could be seen bombarding the race track as the jockeys ran on. Pundit Laurent Barbarin added: "I have never seen anything like it. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "They are trying to hide under trees, it is so dangerous." Local weather forecasters issued thunderstorm warnings while videos shared on social media showed water running down the streets of Paris.
The Irish Sun
04-05-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
‘This is wild' – Race dramatically STOPPED after horses and jockeys pelted with ‘painful' hailstones
RACING in France was dramatically stopped as horses and jockeys were pelted by "painful" hailstones. Bad weather hit the centre of the country's jump racing in Auteuil, Paris, during the 3.07pm contest on Saturday. Advertisement 1 Hail was seen falling on top of horses and jockeys during a race in Auteuil Credit: The track was hit by a flurry of hail mid-race as wind swept in a storm as competitors crossed the obstacles in the A. Veil-picard Hurdle. Runners were well spaced out when a warning siren indicated for jockeys to duck for cover, including British rider James Reveley. Many clocked on to the danger they were in and immediately pulled up to get under cover as huge balls of ice began raining down. The biblical pictures were captured live in Sky Sports TV cameras, with commentator Alex Hammond speaking about the remarkable situation. Advertisement READ MORE IN HORSE RACING She said: "This is wild. "The hailstones are absolutely enormous, that will be really painful. They look the size of golf balls." Leaves could be seen bombarding the race track as the jockeys ran on. Pundit Laurent Barbarin added: "I have never seen anything like it. Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "They are trying to hide under trees, it is so dangerous." Local weather forecasters issued thunderstorm warnings while videos shared on social media showed water running down the streets of Paris. Shocking moment jockey is hit in the head after horse crashes into railings in chaotic race at Punchestown Festival
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
‘This is wild' – Race dramatically STOPPED after horses and jockeys pelted with ‘painful' hailstones
RACING in France was dramatically stopped as horses and jockeys were pelted by "painful" hailstones. Bad weather hit the centre of the country's jump racing in Auteuil, Paris, during the 3.07pm contest on Saturday. 1 The track was hit by a flurry of hail mid-race as wind swept in a storm as competitors crossed the obstacles in the A. Veil-picard Hurdle. Runners were well spaced out when a warning siren indicated for jockeys to duck for cover, including British rider James Reveley. Many clocked on to the danger they were in and immediately pulled up to get under cover as huge balls of ice began raining down. The biblical pictures were captured live in Sky Sports TV cameras, with commentator Alex Hammond speaking about the remarkable situation. She said: "This is wild. "The hailstones are absolutely enormous, that will be really painful. They look the size of golf balls." Leaves could be seen bombarding the race track as the jockeys ran on. Pundit Laurent Barbarin added: "I have never seen anything like it. "They are trying to hide under trees, it is so dangerous." Local weather forecasters issued thunderstorm warnings while videos shared on social media showed water running down the streets of Paris.
Irish Daily Mirror
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horse racing chaos as race abandoned mid-contest with jockeys taking cover
Racing at Auteuil was abruptly called off on Saturday afternoon due to rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. Weather warnings had been issued in the area before the card started, with the forecast progressively worsening. As the final race on the card was about to start at 15:07, the winds intensified and a hail storm broke out. Despite this, the race went ahead, with jockeys clearly distracted by the harsh conditions. Videos revealed golf ball-sized hailstones pelting the track, leading to most of the field being withdrawn as jockeys realised the conditions were becoming dangerous. The klaxon was then sounded on the course, with officials deciding that the race should be halted due to the severe weather. Leaves and sticks continued to fall in the area, with some marshals on the course also moving to avoid the worst of the conditions. As it was the last race of the day, the extreme weather brought an unexpected early end to the card. Sky Sports presenter Alex Hammond was on hand to comment on the dangerous conditions, the Express reports. She said: "This is wild. The hailstones are absolutely enormous, that will be really painful. They look the size of golf balls." Pundit Laurent Barbarin was also stunned when bearing witness to the powerful storm as he commented: "I have never seen anything like it. They are trying to hide under trees, it is so dangerous." Despite the conditions, action soon got underway earlier at 10:53am and it was Prince of Paris - priced at 14/1 - who defeated favourite Lord Brett in the opening La Veine Chase. Regardless of the early upset, fans who backed favourites throughout the day came out on top with Miss Wood (9/4), Pistache Dore (6/4) and Woods (15/8) all earned victories before Mickael Seror's Ventura Highway (9/1) triumphed at the Andrea Chase. The French trainer enjoyed a glorious day as he claimed yet another victory just an hour later with Kel Story (4/1), which came prior to Maree Verte (3-1) winning the Burgrave II Claiming Hurdle. The action in England was equally thrilling with jockey William Buick leading Ruling Court to a win in the 2000 Guineas under jockey William Buick.
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Race abandoned as jockeys hit by hailstones 'as big as golf balls' in wild scenes
Sky Sports Racing presenter Alex Hammond was shocked by the scenes from Auteuil, which saw the final race called off due to the severe weather. British-born jockey James Reveley was among those competing Bad weather led to the cancellation of a race when jump jockeys were hit with hailstones 'as big as golf balls.' The chaotic scenes were shown on Sky Sports Racing during the 3.07pm contest at Auteuil, the centre of jump racing in France. Wind swept in a storm which brought small balls of ice as horses and riders were crossing obstacles in the A. Veil-picard Hurdle. The runners were well spaced out when a warning siren indicated for jockeys including British-born James Reveley to pull up. Realising how bad the conditions were, the majority did not hesitate and ducked for cover as hailstones rained down on them. Dozens of leaves could be seen blowing across track on the TV pictures, as presenter Alex Hammond commented on the unusual event. She said: "This is wild. The hailstones are absolutely enormous, that will be really painful. They look the size of golf balls." Pundit Laurent Barbarin gasped at what he was seeing, as the hail was heard loudly during the broadcast to indicate the power of the storm. "I have never seen anything like it," he commented. ""They are trying to hide under trees, it is so dangerous." Weather forecasters issued a thunderstorm warning for France and other clips on social media showed water running down the streets of Paris. Hailstorms could also be seen on the ground, as shoppers and tourists sheltered in shops and cafes. Earlier on the weather had been a mixture of sunshine and cloud before the skies suddenly darkened. The abandoned Auteuil race was the final one of eight, on a card which began at 10.53am with 14-1 chance Prince Of Paris defeating favourite Lord Brett in the La Veine Chase. Favourite backers had some luck later on via similarly-named thoroughbreds Miss Wood (9-4) and Woods (15-8). Meanwhile in Britain, where the weather was calm and 18C, market leader Field Of Gold got going too late behind Ruling Court (9-2) in the Betfred 2,000 Guineas.
