Blake Shinn eked out a second-place finish by the, ahem, seat of his pants on Thursday.
The jockey's pants fell down on the final turn of Race 1 at Australia's Canterbury racecourse, leaving his bare derrière in the air. But Shinn didn't let the wardrobe malfunction distract him, keeping his eyes on the bum-rush to the finish line.
"I was more worried about winning the race. They [the pants] went just after the start and there was nothing I could do," Shinn told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I think a lot of people are going to have a bit of fun with this, but they can't say I wasn't focused and went to the line."
"We usually report gear malfunctions, but we are leaving that one alone," added acting chief steward Greg Rudolph.
Shinn could have been forgiven for ending at the rear of the field, but he finished second, edging out Modesty, who came in third. No, seriously.
"I usually come here and stay focused in search of winners. People wouldn’t know I’m that cheeky," Shinn told Sky Channel's Richard Haynes after the race, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Haynes encouraged the jockey to "go and debrief with your owners."
The crack-up has led to plenty of exposure on social media:
Even Shinn joined in, poking fun at himself (and recalling Australian model Jennifer Hawkins' bare moment mid-catwalk):
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.