A bizarre accident Friday at Freehold Raceway saw the starting gate car skid out of control and into six horses and drivers.

The field of seven trotters was entering the first turn on Freehold’s half-mile oval when video replays show the car sliding toward the infield, doing a 180-degree turn and facing the field head on. Only the lead horse, Civic Duty driven by James Clarry, cleared the car, which has large gates on either side that are folded back in after a race starts.

The second horse, driven by Hall of Famer Catello Manzi, and the sulky were the first to crash into the car and into a gate that was still fully extended.

Manzi suffered a punctured lung and cracked ribs, a track spokesperson said. All drivers are in stable condition.

"We don't know what happened. It was definitely a freak mishap. Something I've never seen in 40 years in racing," said Freehold Raceway director of racing and race secretary Karen Fagliarone.

Track conditions were not an issue for the first four races of the day, Fagliarone said, adding that there was no ice reported on the track. However, Freehold immediately canceled its final six races of the day following the accident.

Track superintendent Michael Fagliarone and Freehold general manager Howard Bruno both refused to comment. The driver of the starting gate car, Robert Blum, could not be reached.

"The initial inspection was that the horses are all okay," said Fagliarone. Three of the four drivers were transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, and one (Jim Pantaleano) was taken to Centra State Medical Center in Freehold.

Freehold officials said they have no idea what caused the car to spin.

In addition to Manzi, a 63-year-old Freehold resident, drivers Jim Pantaleano, Debra Rucker and Vince Ginsburg were taken to the hospital complaining of a variety of injuries, Fagliarone said.

Manzi was "in absolute agony," Fagliarone said, adding that he appeared to be the most seriously injured of the drivers.



The video timestamp shows the accident happening at 2:07 p.m. The track was slick, but temperature in Freehold was 37 degrees as of 2 p.m. It was the fifth race on the card at Freehold and officials declared the race a no-contest.