CHAOS ensued when a race was delayed at Catterick after a loose horse wandered the grounds for 20 minutes.
Fans dubbed it “amateur hour” after the horse was caught but quickly escaped again moments later as the 3.50 race was pushed back.
It is a mystery why track officials could not get the horse under control.
Witnesses at Catterick said the horse belonged to trainer Antony Brittain.
The animal freed itself exactly two minutes before the 3.50 race started.
The horse was first loose for more than 10 minutes as it ran behind on the green behind the white posts of the racetrack limits.
Two trainers eventually caught up with the racehorse before it swiftly managed to wriggle out of their grasps again.
And 21 minutes later the stallion was still running around the back of the track before being caught for the final time.
And spectators complained as they eagerly waited for the contest to start.
Fans immediately took to X to express their frustrations.
One wrote: “Catterick is over 20 minutes late due to that loose horse.”
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A second said: “What a shambles at Catterick”
A third replied: “What on earth are they doing? This is an absolute farce.”
A fourth commented: “How can they let him loose again.”
A fifth added: “This will make all the other races behind now .”
Meanwhile, Desert Dream eventually won the 3.50 once normality got back underway.
As John Kirkup and Marton Heads finished second and third respectively.
The 16:25 and 16:55 were subsequently delayed by 10 minutes.
Elsewhere, the Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) has lodged an appeal on behalf of Callum Shepherd against an 18-day ban following a controversial dead-heat finish at Kempton.
Shepherd will miss a load of big races including the St Leger after he was deemed to have eased up on his mount in the closing stages.
