by Robert Lieberman

Norwood, MA — The tenth race on Monday (April 19) at Plainridge proved to be a real heart stopper, because it could have resulted in a very serious situation.

Unfortunately for John Kakaley, who was driving Gekko, came the realization that he could no longer steer the horse because the steering bar that the driving lines were attached to broke. Kakaley was not driving or steering the horse as he went on his way uncontrollably. Kakaley was praying that he could catch the eye of another driver within his viewing area to help grab the line, but he just couldn’t.

The horse has a habit of bearing in and before Kakaley knew it he was heading inside the pylons and the only thing he felt that he could do was to try to roll out of the bike to minimize any physical harm to himself. As the horses headed down the stretch Kakaley saw a spot and prayed that he would accomplish his plan and unfortunately he didn’t quite land the way he wanted to and the shoulder took more of the blow than he had hoped for.

The staff that handles track emergencies went right into action, with track superintendant Gerald Rocco, Jr., Paddock Judge Frank Dubreuil and other emergency staff crew, along with the EMT’s and the ambulance, on the scene. The horse, who was a little confused himself, was finally cornered and corraled up against the side fence by Dubreuil and one of his assistants. The horse was calmed right down immediately.

The ambulance team were able to immedialely get Kakaley strapped down onto a stretcher, as another ambulance arrived on the scene to take him to the hospital for an immediate evaluation, especially for a concussion or broken bones.

Mrs. Linda Kakaley said that all tests proved negative and except for some serious bruising in the shoulder areas, John will just need a little rest and should be back in the bike fairly soon. She wanted to extend a great big thank you to the staff and the EMT’s for taking very good care of her husband.

Track Chief Operating Officer Gary Piontkowski and General Manager Steve O’Toole announced “that the problem with the steering bar will not happen again on this track, because any horse that is being driven with that type of steering bar will have a safety strap attached to both sides of the steering bar or the horse will not be allowed to race.”

A safety bar strap will at least give the driver enough control of the horse to keep him out of harm’s way and slow him down safely.