STRANGE INCIDENT at Hamilton: Jockey Andrew Mullen suddenly falls off his horse at the start, causing the race to be delayed and the mare receives a controversial ban

In the rolling green hills of Hamilton Park Racecourse in Scotland, where the thrill of thundering hooves usually captivates crowds under the watchful eyes of the River Clyde, an extraordinary mishap unfolded on Monday afternoon that left spectators, trainers, and officials scratching their heads. The incident, occurring in the opening race of the day—the Book Hampton By Hilton Hamilton Park EBF Maiden Stakes—turned what should have been a straightforward maiden contest into a bizarre spectacle of chaos, delay, and lingering controversy. At the center of it all was experienced jockey Andrew Mullen, who was unceremoniously unseated from his mount, Supremissy, mere moments after the starting stalls sprang open, transforming the event into an unintended solo parade for the heavy favorite.

The race, a modest five-furlong dash restricted to untested two-year-olds, pitted just two fillies against each other in a rare match-race format that had drawn modest interest from punters. On one side was Eat Pray Run, a promising bay filly trained by Irish maestro Joseph O’Brien, who entered the fray as the overwhelming 1/33 favorite. With her sleek form and a solid second-place finish in her debut at Down Royal back in July, Eat Pray Run was seen as a near-certainty to notch her first victory. Her jockey, the accomplished Oisin Orr, exuded quiet confidence as the pair loaded into the stalls. Facing her was Supremissy, a 10/1 outsider prepared by local trainer Iain Jardine, a chestnut filly with potential but unproven on the track. Under the guidance of the seasoned Andrew Mullen—a journeyman rider with over 300 mounts this season and a respectable 6% strike rate—Supremissy was tasked with pulling off a classic upset.

Eyewitness accounts from the grandstand paint a picture of pandemonium in slow motion. As the electronic bell chimed and the stalls burst apart at precisely 2:10 p.m., Supremissy lunged forward with the explosive energy typical of a young thoroughbred eager to prove herself. But in a split-second twist of fate, the filly stumbled awkwardly, dropping her nose perilously close to the turf. Mullen, strapped in with the precision of a man who’s navigated hundreds of such launches, reacted instinctively, gripping the reins with white-knuckled determination. Yet, the mare’s sudden dip proved too much; her momentum shifted violently sideways, and in a blur of silks and sweat, Mullen was hurled from the saddle. He hit the ground with a thud that echoed through the stunned silence of the trackside amplifiers, rolling once before scrambling to his feet, dazed but apparently unscathed.

What followed was a scene straight out of a comedic equestrian farce. Riderless and bewildered, Supremissy refused to quit the fray. Instead of veering off into the adjacent paddock as protocol might suggest, the spirited mare gathered her wits and charged ahead, galloping the full length of the five furlongs with an almost defiant gusto. She crossed the line a full 12 lengths clear of Eat Pray Run, who, under Orr’s measured guidance, cantered home unopposed in a leisurely procession that robbed the race of any competitive edge. The official time? A meaningless 1 minute 2.5 seconds for Eat Pray Run, with Supremissy’s “ghost” victory clocked at an irrelevant 59.8 seconds. The grandstand, expecting a sprint to the wire, erupted in a mix of laughter, groans, and bewildered applause.

Race stewards wasted no time in red-flagging the proceedings. The photo-finish camera captured the absurdity in stark detail: Mullen sprawled on the all-weather surface, Supremissy thundering on alone, and Eat Pray Run’s connections exchanging bemused shrugs. An immediate inquiry was convened trackside, with veterinarians rushing to assess both horses and Mullen himself undergoing a precautionary medical check in the jockeys’ room. Fortunately, the rider emerged with only minor bruising—a testament to his quick reflexes and the forgiving nature of Hamilton’s Polytrack surface. “It was like being bucked off a wild mustang at a rodeo,” Mullen quipped later to reporters, his trademark dry humor intact. “One moment you’re flying, the next you’re eating dirt. Supremissy’s got fire in her belly, I’ll give her that.”

The delay stretched to a tense 45 minutes as officials pored over replays and gathered statements. Under British Horseracing Authority (BHA) rules for such anomalies, the race’s outcome hinged on whether Supremissy’s unseating constituted a “false start” or an act of equine rebellion warranting further scrutiny. In a decision that sent ripples through the betting shops, the stewards declared the contest void, awarding Eat Pray Run the win by walkover and redistributing prize money accordingly. But the real sting came for Jardine’s stable: Supremissy was slapped with a 14-day suspension from racing, effective immediately, on grounds of “unruly behavior at the start.” The ban, which bars the filly from future engagements until mid-October, has ignited a firestorm of debate within the racing community.

Critics, including Jardine himself, have decried the penalty as overly punitive and disproportionate. “This isn’t some rogue horse kicking up a storm— it was a young filly getting her feet tangled in the stalls,” the trainer fumed in a post-race interview, his face flushed with frustration. “Andrew did everything right; he was holding on like his life depended on it. Banning her now feels like kicking her when she’s down. We’ve got trials lined up, and this could derail her whole season.” Supporters of the BHA point to precedent: similar incidents at tracks like Newmarket have led to short bans to ensure safety and fairness, arguing that riderless horses pose risks to trailing runners and could spook the field in larger races.

The controversy has amplified calls for reform in starter protocols. Hamilton’s stalls, installed just two seasons ago, have come under indirect fire, with whispers of a deeper issue—perhaps a sticky gate or uneven loading—that exacerbated Supremissy’s stumble. BHA chief steward Jeremy Noseda defended the decision, stating, “Safety is paramount. While no one was seriously hurt, we can’t ignore the potential hazards. The ban is precautionary, not punitive, and Supremissy will be back stronger.” Yet, for punters who’d backed the longshot, the voiding meant forfeited stakes, prompting a flurry of complaints to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service.

As the sun dipped low over Hamilton’s historic stands, the incident served as a stark reminder of horse racing’s unpredictable alchemy—where split-second decisions by man and beast can upend fortunes. For Mullen, it’s just another scar on a career marked by resilience; he’s already booked for a handful of mounts later in the week. Eat Pray Run’s connections, meanwhile, pocketed the £4,000 winner’s purse with a wry smile, O’Brien securing his first Hamilton success in the process. And Supremissy? Holed up in her Lanarkshire stable, the controversial mare munches hay oblivious to the uproar, her future hanging on an appeal set for Wednesday.

In the end, this strange episode at Hamilton transcends the turf’s daily dramas, spotlighting the fine line between triumph and turmoil in a sport as old as civilization itself. As Jardine plots his next move, one thing is clear: in racing, even the steadiest gallop can veer into the unexpected, leaving legends—and bans—in its wake.