Horrifying moment: A helpless jockey is thrown like a rag doll in a horrific pre-race scare at Sedgefield

THIS is the terrifying moment a helpless jockey is thrown like a rag doll into a pre-race terror at Sedgefield.

Poor Conor Rabbitt’s head was thrown back and his body was almost thrown from the saddle after becoming tangled in the reins.

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The conditional jockey was riding Skinty Fia with a 50-1 chance at the start of a 2m1f bumper at the County Durham track on Wednesday when disaster struck.

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Eventual winner Riviera Walk was in the care of a handler when Rabbitt somehow appeared to ride between the horse and the track worker.

While Skinty Fia hid his head under the reins, Rabbitt wasn’t so lucky and the head wrapped around his neck.

Cameras captured the moment he was horribly virtually tied to the clothesline, his body going from upright to horizontal position in a split second.

The jockey later joked that he “wouldn’t be good in limbo,” but seriously, it was a wonder he wasn’t seriously injured.

The speed at which his neck came into contact with the reins could have resulted in all sorts of horrific injuries – at least a bad case of Whipplas.

Rabbitt and the horse were well enough to race, but they failed to finish and were pulled six furlongs from home.

In response to a bettor who praised its flexibility, Rabbitt wrote: “It has never been pushed this far before. I expect a lot of pain tomorrow morning.”

Spectators were relieved that the jockey, who had 35 career wins and over £300,000 in prize money, and the horse were all well.

One said: “Nearly ripped the boy’s head from his shoulders.”

Another wrote online: “He has to buy a lottery ticket this week, how lucky was he?!”

While a fellow player posted: “Jeez, that could have been very bad.”

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