Watch: Runaway racehorse appears on train platform
A runaway horse in Australia has startled commuters by turning up on the platform of a busy railway station.
The retired racehorse was captured on CCTV footage standing on the platform of Warwick Farm station, in suburban Sydney. It even stood behind the yellow safety line as a train approached. It had escaped after an intruder broke into the stable yard where it lived.
Alarmed commuters kept out of the horse’s way as it wandered up and down the platform. Mystery surrounds how it made it on to the platform, which can only be accessed by a set of stairs.
“I still want to know how it got up the stairs and on to the platform – it didn’t use the lift,” said Keith Morrison, a stable hand.
Matt Longland, the chief executive of Sydney Trains, said the network alerted its drivers about the presence of the horse.
“Thankfully we were able to warn our train drivers to take extra care to look out for animals on the tracks. A train stopped at the station, but didn’t open its doors. We were able to catch the horse not too long after that.”
After having free rein of the station for about half an hour, the horse was eventually led into the back of a trailer and taken home.
Jo Haylen, the New South Wales transport minister, said: “This was actually a well-behaved passenger, if an unexpected one.”
The retired racehorse was reunited with its owner, trainer Annabel Neasham. “Unfortunately, we had an intruder break-in to one of our stables,” she said. “He managed to let our stable pony out.”
She said the unnamed horse seemed unperturbed by its outing, which happened late last Friday but which was only reported on Wednesday.
“(Our) horse is back at home, none the wiser, not even a scratch on him.”
Police are still looking for the person responsible for the break-in.
