A racehorse named Vanyar (number 5) lost his jockey almost immediately after he left the starting gate at Tokay Stakes 2023 in Nagoya Japan, as you can see (at about 1:25) in the YouTube footage posted below. But that didn't stop the determined horse from giving it his all. Although Vanyar trailed during the first part of the race, things got exciting by 3:00 when he picked up speed, surpassed his competitors, fell behind again for a moment, and then surged ahead all the way to the finish line. Unfortunately, horses without a jockey don't qualify as "winners," so the second-place horse took all the glory. But giving credit where credit is due, Vanyar was clearly still the champ.
(via Oddity Central)
Thumbnail image: Dziurek / shutterstock.com
