On the weekend following our
visit, racing was abandoned at St
Moritz after a race in which English
jockey George Baker incurred a se-
rious head injury and his mount was
fatally injured following a fall in
the home straight. In the ensuing
months, Baker, who won the 2016
St Leger on Harbour Law (GB), has
made steady improvement but, de-
spite being fully mobile, has been
forced to retire from race-riding.
An accident investigation found
that large differences in tempera-
ture had led to cracks forming in
the ice which allowed water to rise
to the surface, creating hollows on
the track. The St Moritz Racing As-
sociation has taken steps to ensure
that this tragic scenario is not re-
peated by reducing the hospitality
area surrounding the racecourse
for the 2018 meeting and it also
plans to deploy an infrared drone to
detect potential areas where water
could rise and cause irregularities in
the track surface.
Extra safety
measures taken
following tragic
accident
