19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
TV presenter shares grim injury after being kicked by horse at Royal Ascot
The 24-year-old presenter was kicked by the horse when it was startled by a passing truck and lashed out. She has now opened up about what injuries the painful incident left her with
TV presenter Andie Biancone was left on crutches after being kicked by a horse in a freak accident at Royal Ascot this week.
The rising star of US network FanDuelTV, 28, had travelled to the UK to lead her father's filly Lennilu in the prestigious Queen Mary Stakes. Sadly, those plans were derailed after a painful incident on the gallops.
Biancone was walking Lennilu when another horse in their company was spooked by a passing truck. The startled horse lashed out and struck Biancone's foot, causing what doctors suspect is a soft tissue injury. She spoke about the terrifying moment to ITV Racing, sharing: "Lennilu and I were coming back from her canter yesterday (on Tuesday) and her company horse got spooked by a truck, kicked out, and unfortunately kicked my foot.
"But Lenni was fine, she packed me twenty minutes home, I was sobbing, and she was just like, 'are you good, mum?'"
The injury was serious enough that Biancone was unable to perform her duties as Lennilu's groom during the race. She has since returned to the US for further medical evaluation and will remain on crutches while recovering.
Speaking to FanDuelTV, she added: "Lennilu was fine, but the pony was spooked, he bucked straight over his head and hit me in the foot. Team Lennilu is very grateful that I took the hit, took one for the team. It would be a shame to have a filly come all this way, be doing so well, and get kicked in the ribs.
"So my ankle did suffer the worst of it, we got it looked at at Newmarket, they said no visible breaks, probably just soft tissue damage. I will probably get a second opinion in the United States but as of right now, we're crutching it."
Despite the unfortunate turn of events, there was reason to celebrate as Lennilu put in a strong performance in the Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday, finishing third behind Aidan O'Brien's True Love.
Trainer Patrick Biancone was proud of the horse's performance, saying: "She is only a baby. I liked the fact she fought back at the end. We will go home and give her a break and then we'll see her in Del Mar for the Breeders' Cup."
This comes after a horse called Harry's Girl tragically died on the second day of the races. The poor dame broke down just seconds into the Queen Mary Stakes.
Ascot Racecourse put out a statement about the death, which read: "Unfortunately, Harry's Girl suffered a fatal injury during The Queen Mary Stakes. Our thoughts go out to all connections at this time."
ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlain confirmed the sad news during the broadcaster's coverage of the meet shortly after the conclusion of the race, saying her sad passing 'cast a shadow' over True Love's triumph.
