Mike Dillon: Just another day at the races

You can say what you like, Saturday's jumps day at Te Rapa was nothing other than sensationally spectacular.

Opponents of the jumping game probably thought the day represented a victory for them.

Rubbish.

It was an endorsement for jumping as a way of injecting excitement into winter racing.

There were lots of bruises and the odd limp, but miraculously all the jockeys in the Waikato Hurdles and Waikato Steeplechase escaped injury.

And so did the horses.

Mr Charlton didn't die as a result of a jumping incident - he had a heart attack going into the second fence in the Waikato Hurdles.

That could have happened to any of the horses in the nine flat races run.

A racehorse can have a heart attack trotting around its paddock at home.

That Tommy Hazlett and Mathew Gillies walked away from the sickening running rail incident at the second fence is nothing short of a miracle.

Not every jumps race is going to provide the entertainment Saturday's two events created.

These were exceptional.

If you didn't feel the excitement that permeated Te Rapa as a result, you need your pulse checked.

The last word goes to Matamata jockey Michael Coleman.

"That's what keeps all us flat jockeys skinny - watching those mad bastards going around."