WITNESSES have described the horrifying moment a horse leapt a racetrack fence and left two people seriously injured.

Three people remain in hospital after the horse rampaged through a crowd of spectators at Warrnambool's famous Grand Annual Steeple chase.

Paramedics had earlier feared at least two patrons had suffered spinal injuries.

Pictures: Wild horse at Warrnambool

In a statement late today, Racing Victoria confirmed a two-year-old girl had suffered a fractured collarbone, an 80-year-old woman is undergoing x-rays on her shoulder and hip, and a 12-year-old girl is undergoing x-rays on her foot.

Seven people were taken to Warrnambool Hospital, with four later discharged with cuts and bruising.

Racing Victoria chief Rob Hines described the incident as a "freak accident", but promised a full investigation in conjunction with the Warrnambool Racing Club, after Racing Minister Denis Napthine called for an investigation.

But anti-jumps racing advocates said it was the final straw for the troubled sport, which it dubbed "Government-funded cruelty".

The riderless horse, Banna Strand, jumped a three-metre high fence and plunged into unsuspecting punters during the Grand Annual Steeple.

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The horse lost his rider at the Alfred Rd jump in the first half of the race when he failed to clear the hurdle.

He then continued off the course, running beside the boundary until he leaped a high brush safety fence into the crowd and kept galloping.

Officials at the course said the three-metre cyclone wire fence had been built there just a few years ago to try to avoid an incident exactly like today's.

Witness and Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses volunteer Ria Green said the horse had veered left of the track, before leaping the fence and going straight over the crowd, missing her by less than a metre.

There were chaotic scenes as the horse crashed through the crowd, leaving as many of 20 people on the ground, and a four-year-old girl covered in blood.

“There were the elderly and children as young as four … everyone in the crowd was screaming," Ms Greene said.

“The mother of the four-year-old girl picked her up and there was blood pouring out of her neck.

“People were running around trying to get their childeren, everyone was absolutely hysterical.

“There were a lot of people lying on the ground, maybe 20.

“After it crashed into the people it picked itself up and ran down the road, it was horrified.''

A shaken Ms Greene said the incident was too close for comfort.

“If I had been half a metre to the left, I would have been taken out by the horse.”

'It came from nowhere'

One of the two elderly women injured told the Herald Sun there was nothing that could be done to avoid the horse.

She said she saw “a big black blob coming over the fence from out of nowhere”.

Herald Sun photographer Nicole Garmston said there was pandemonium as she heard the crowd behind the fence erupt in fear.

“You could hear the crowd, there were shrieks and yelling as the horse went over the fence,” she said.

“Then the horse went down the street – there were people running everywhere.”

After running through the crowd, Banna Strand continued down the road surrounding the track and ran almost a circuit before finally being pulled up near the front gate of the course.

Urgent review into crowd safety

Mr Napthine said he had asked Racing Victoria to launch an inquiry into the incident.

He said the focus would be on crowd safety, which was of “paramount importance”.

“Today’s unfortunate incident at the Warrnambool racecourse raises serious questions of spectator safety,'' he said.

“My thoughts are with the spectators who were injured in this incident.

“Our primary concern is for the wellbeing of those people that were injured"

Mr Hines confirmed safety at the course would now have to be urgently reviewed.

“You take the precautions, you would have thought an eight-foot fence on the boundary of the course was sufficient,'' he said.

“We will have to investigate talking to the local council on whether that road should be closed to the general public in future.''

Public paid the price for animal cruelty - advocates

Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses spokesman Ward Young described the incident as "carnage on the race track".

"We asked them to call off the races after the first horse died on Tuesday, but they let it continue and the public paid the price."

He said it was inevitable jumps racing would injure both horses and people, and said the horse was driven by fear in trying to avoid the obstacle.

"We believe jumps racing is not only legal cruelty but it is government funded cruelty," he said.

"Racing Victoria are not worried about killing horses but when the elderly and children are taken to hospital it is a new low."

'Too many horses have already died at Warrnambool'

RSPCA Victoria President Hugh Wirth said too many horses had died at Warrnambool, and said the "task set for the horses has been too much".

"They were asked to to do something that put them at risk and that risk was too much," he said.

"So many horses have been killed at Warrnambool and now we have health and saftey issues as well, the club will have to deal with this."

He described the incident as "a nasty experience".

Dr Wirth earlier this week described Warrnambool as "the killing fields for horses".

"That's how bad it is," Dr Wirth said.

"Every time they do something at Warrnambool there are deaths."



The race was won by Al Garhood, one of only two horses to finish the race.

None of the jockeys or the eight horses in the race sustained serious injuries.

Police said two protesters had been removed from the field earlier in the day.

- with Alexandra White, Tim Habel, Matthew Schulz and Neil Wilson

Originally published as Chaos as horse leaps into crowd