Sedgefield racecourse has been fined £6,500 by the British Horseracing Authority after a jockey was taken to hospital in a horsebox due to a lack of ambulance cover at the track

Sedgefield racecourse has been handed a £6,500 fine after a jockey was transported to hospital in a horsebox owing to insufficient ambulance provision.

An unnamed rider took a tumble in the fifth race at a fixture on March 19 and following examination by the racecourse doctor, the jockey reported discomfort in his left collarbone.

He was given the all-clear to compete in the subsequent race, which was the final event on the card, but after crossing the line, he later experienced heightened pain and was administered an analgesic.

The racecourse doctor determined the most appropriate action was to dispatch him to A & E but all the ambulance crews had departed the venue and as his injury was too severe for him to travel by car, he was conveyed to hospital in the horsebox.

A British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel ruled that Sedgefield had failed to adhere to five "general instructions" which all racecourses must satisfy under the rules of racing.

Additional violations included a telephone line being out of service and "tired worn rooms not conveying of a clean clinical area".

The racecourse accepted responsibility for its failings and an inspection in April demonstrated substantial improvement.