Let it never be said that horse racing is not a physical, brutal sport. The men and women who ride race horses for a living are accustomed to putting their lives on the line and facing danger when they ride. Most of them just never expect that the danger will come the mouth of another horse on the track. One French jockey learned the hard way that getting bitten by a thoroughbred race horse is no fun at all.

Polomba the Thoroughbred Who Bites Her Rivals

In early September 2019 a stakes races for thoroughbreds was being conducted at the Maisons-Lafitte Racecourse which is located near Paris. The race was dominated in the early stages by odds-on favorite Polomba. It appeared that nothing could stop the horse from winning the event. Then she was challenged by Lucky Lycra, a horse ridden by Francois-Xavier Bertras.

Bertras made a challenge to Polomba and her jockey Maxime Guyon in the stretch run of the stakes race. Polomba did not take kindly to the threat. A video of the race shows the horse turn her head as Bertras and Lucky Lycra approached. Polomba then reached over and bit the jockey on the arm.

Polomba’s efforts to prevent a late charge from Lucky Lycra and Bertras failed as the bitten jockey and the horse went on to win the stakes affair. The loss of Polomba must have disappointed many racing bettors because she had become a prohibitive favorite by the time the gates were opened.

Horses Savage Other Horses and Riders

As strange as this type of behavior may sound, it is not uncommon in horse racing. In fact, it happens more often than you might think. Horses are usually known to savage, or bite, other horses during a race when they feel threatened. This is the horse’s way of asserting dominance.

What is less common to see in horse racing is a horse that has savaged a jockey. It is rare to see riders get bitten. The horses seem to know who to direct their anger against, and it is not the jockey that usually causes them to become angry. It is generally the rival horse that is seen as a threat.

There is little that can be done about race horses biting during the running of a race. In the worst case scenario a horse could perhaps be muzzled in some way, but this would probably restrict the horse’s ability to breathe. Check our Bovada racebook review, Twinspires review or even our Betamerica review. All great choice if you are in the US. 5Dimes review for folks anywhere!

Racing fans can check out Polomba’s bite in a video shared by Fox News.