Horse walks into a bar…
It happened at the Pari Mutuel Urbain bar in Chantilly, France, when an unnamed racehorse from the Chantilly racecourse half-a-mile away broke free after throwing its rider and galloped full-tilt into the bar (owned by the State-controlled betting board) giving punters there an up-close “in your muzzle” view of one of the horses that had been punted on.
The horse had a tendency to escape according to its owner Jean-Marie Béguigné speaking to the Ouest France newspaper.
But the filly hadn’t come to buy a drink or place a bet. Instead, it seemed intent on bucking off its saddle as it ran the length of the bar and back out again.
The race had been her first, which might have been enough to throw anybody off (it certainly threw off her jockey).
Nobody was hurt in the episode as the bar had just emptied 20 of its patrons in search of the 9.55 train. The seven remaining punters got closer to the paddock than they might have wished….
The filly was eventually caught in a nearby car park (looking for a set of wheels to make that perfect getaway no doubt) and seemed none the worse for the incident as it has been back at the races since….