A registrar remanded Bergman on bail without plea. He is due to reappear in court on March 4. Video footage of the race broadcast by TAB Trackside on Saturday appeared to show a spectator jumping over the fence and onto the track at Upper Hutt, north of Wellington, causing the jockeys to swerve their horses around him.
TAB TRACKSIDE
Footage of a Wellington Cup race broadcast on Trackside on Saturday appeared to show a man entering the track mid-race. No one was injured in the incident and police confirmed they arrested a man shortly after the race. As well as any sentence imposed by the court, Bergman can expect a lifetime ban from tracks around the country.
The man who ran in front of the field and narrowly avoided being trampled can expect a lifetime ban after administrators say he endangered his own life and those of the jockeys and horses.
Updated Feb 01, 2021 | 16:30 IST
A short clip of the incident shows the man standing right in the middle of the racetrack as the horses galloped past him. Man walks onto racetrack, steps in front of galloping horses
If you have ever seen a horse race from the stands of a racecourse or on the television, you will know the speed at which the jockeys proceed towards the finish line.
Even a minor contact with a solid object can put a horse and its jockey in danger of sustaining a major injury. This is precisely the reason why barricades and fences are installed on both sides of the track.
Police have arrested and charged a man with criminal nuisance, after a spectator ran onto the race track during Wellington Cup Day yesterday.
Video on social media shows a man jumping the fence at Upper Hutt s Trentham Racecourse, and standing still in the middle of the track as jockeys had to steer their horses around him.
There were no injuries, but racing broadcaster Aidan Rodley called the spectator an idiot, who is lucky to be alive.
Police say a 24-year-old man was arrested, and has been charged with criminal nuisance for doing an act endangering public safety.
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