A pigeon knocked out a horse during a race on the Mariendorf trotting course in Berlin.
The incident happened around 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, said Heiko Lingk, press spokesman for the harness racing track, of the German Press Agency. The “Märkische Oderzeitung” had previously reported on the bird’s attack.
After the first curve, the pigeon, startled by the horses, “preyed like an eagle” and flew in the face of the horse Royenne, according to Lingk. The horse was completely out of sync and was immediately disqualified. “I’ve experienced a lot and expected everything – but not with a pigeon that kicks us out of the race!” Lingk quoted the trainer and sulky driver Josef Franzl as saying. But the horse is fine.
Seven participants took part in the race on Sunday afternoon. “The horse was the strongest favourite,” said Lingk. The race was therefore about prize money of 10,000 euros. In the future, organizers want to pay more attention to nesting pigeons, Lingk said.
