Five jockeys involved in light aircraft drama

Five jockeys based in the north of England were involved in a dramatic emergency landing on Thursday, after the light aircraft they were travelling in to Goodwood suffered what is thought to have been an engine problem.

Rowan Scott, Callum Rodriguez, PJ McDonald, Tom Eaves and Jack Garritty were flying from Bagby Airfield near Thirsk in North Yorkshire when the pilot was forced to turn back.

Scott’s agent Niall Hannity said: “They set off from Bagby and something went wrong with the plane so they started to get a bit panicky, as you can imagine.

“The pilot, who has 25 years’ experience, said nothing like it had ever happened to him but they were able to get turned round and land back at Bagby, which must have been frightening.

“The main thing is they got back down and they are all safe now.

“Rowan was sending me messages in the air asking me to let John Quinn and Alice Haynes know he wouldn’t be able to ride their horses today and I was telling him not to worry about that in the grand scheme of things!”

He added: “It was Rowan’s first time in a private plane – he said it’s also his last.”

To make matters worse for Scott, Haynes’ Naana’s Sparkle (15-2) went and won the Buccellati Handicap under his substitute Charles Bishop.

Haynes said: “Poor Rowan was upset he couldn’t make it. He sounded quite shook up. Thank God they are all OK. I think the engine failed after they had gone 20 minutes.’’