(25 March 2014)

Yet another fatal accident in a Palio, one of the first of 2014. It happened at Fucecchio where, in addition to the summer Palio, so-called ‘Spring Races’ are organised.

During the final race of the day several horses and jockeys were involved in an accident which caused a serious fracture to the leg of a horse named Ora Basta. The local press reported that he had been sent to a clinic under the auspices of the official racecourse vet Dr Armando Del Rosso. After which…total silence regarding the fate of the horse.
Two days later rumours were circulating that the horse had been euthanased upon arrival at the clinic. We have attempted to have this confirmed but it would seem that no-one knows what happened to the horse. In addition to several members of the Palio Association we contacted Dr Del Rosso directly, who declared that he was not able to reply to our questions because he had been forbidden to do so by the organisers of the Palio.

Thanks to the intervention of Councillor Spinelli we finally received the one reply we feared: “Yes, the owner of the horse decided to have him put down that same day”. The Councillor then sent us a statement from the Palio Association of the Fucecchio City Neighbourhoods in which they spoke of a “pessimistic prognosis” offered by the clinic.
In any event, we consider the announcement to be far too delayed, given the gravity of the accident. And we ask the usual questions, trusting that readers will reflect seriously on the use of animals as objects of entertainment: why was the death of this horse hushed up? Why was there not one word about it in the local press?

Meanwhile we studied the rules governing such competitions further, and discovered that these Spring Races appear not to be governed by any rules, contrary to the requirements of the Ministry of Health Decree on the matter. In fact, on the site of the Palio we read: “The Palio Association of the Fucecchio City Neighbourhoods organises an annual race day on Easter Monday for warmbloods over 4 years of age, to be ridden bareback.” Sunday 9 March 2014 was certainly not Easter Monday, and in addition, thoroughbreds were running in the races. Thus it does seem that the races were not being officially supervised or overseen.

We have reported all this to the Ministry of Health with an official letter in which we request an investigation into the accident and death of Ora Basta. We have also asked for the results of the anti-doping test carried out on the dead horse, as well as on the other horses in the race. Even if the ruling on Palios requires only random testing, we maintain that, when serious accidents happen during a race, all participating horses should be tested.

Regarding the ‘Spring Races’ in general, we note that there were horses and jockeys from all over Italy, including Jonathan Bartoletti, who in Asti last year caused the fatal fall of Mamuthones (read the article here). Bartoletti is banned from riding in the Asti Palio for ten years and we are awaiting the outcome of our complaint lodged with the Prosecutor’s Office. But none of this prevents him from being welcomed to ride in other Palios all around Italy, including Fucecchio.


(photo by Claudio Malatesti e Elia Micheletti for www.0571foto.com)