TRAINER Edward O’Grady has expressed his thanks to a number of jockeys and trainers who offered assistance in the aftermath of a serious road accident last Sunday which saw a winning racehorse having to be cut out of a smashed trailer.

“My jeep and trailer were coming home from the races at Cork, where Any Road had run well to finish third,” O’Grady reported. “They were at a bridge at the bottom of the hill before Kildorrery when they were hit by a American tourist driving in the opposite direction. The trailer was whipped off the jeep and landed on its side. Somehow, the horse stood up and stood there like a lamb until help came.”

Jockeys Simon Torrens, Sean Flanagan and Aidan Kelly arrived on the scene and managed to cut off the roof of the trailer.

“The horse walked out with only scrathes and a bloody nose,” O’Grady said. “It’s extraordinary how he survived. I would like to thank the riders and also trainers Ross O’Sullivan and John Ryan for offering to transport the horse home.”