Jockey Tom Scudamore was to be seen at his very best when partnering Shaking Hands to victory in a handicap chase at Uttoxeter on Saturday. However, punters with money on the 14/1 winner were thinking about tearing up their betting slips when the five-year-old all but fell four fences out, forcing Scudamore to make a superb recovery to remain in the saddle.
However, victory was snatched from the jaws of defeat when leader Pelo Du Bief fell two fences later. Scudamore galvanised his mount back into the lead, and bravely held off the challenge of Brimham Boy on the run-in to come home in front.
Despite a crashing fall, Pelo Du Bief was quickly up on his feet, although his jockey Joseph Cornwall suffered a broken wrist.
This video encapsulates all the thrills and spills of our Sport Of Kings. Bear in mind that this was Tom’s fifth ride of the day, and he had already suffered one heavy fall, and had been unseated by another horse. I bet he was glad to hit the showers at the end of such an eventful day at the races?
The video is shown on the At The Races web site, and if you have not registered there already, you will have to in order to play the video. It does include giving your postal address and your phone number, which I appreciate not all of you will be happy about. But you can always tick the ‘no marketing’ box, and At The Races is a site packed with lots of good stuff so I think it’s worth it.