Sicily police investigate illegal race with horse-drawn carts and Kalashnikovs

A video showing an illegal horse race in Sicily, with spectators firing pistols into the air and brandishing Kalashnikov rifles, has prompted a police investigation that has led to the seizure of the animals. The clip, reportedly filmed last Friday , shows two jockeys driving horse-drawn carts at breakneck speed along country roads in the town of Palagonia, near Catania, in eastern Sicily. Behind them, dozens of people follow on scooters, firing shots into the air. The footage was posted on social media by an animal rights activist named Enrico Rizzi. Police said: “Following reports of an unauthorised horse race, accompanied by dozens of people filming the event and firing gunshots into the air, police carried out investigations in the San Cristoforo district of Catania, which led to two men aged 40 and 45 being reported to prosecutors. “Officers immediately began intensive inspections of several stables in the San Cristoforo district, together with veterinarians from the regional health department, in order to identify the horses used in the race and place them in safety.” The newspaper La Sicilia reported that the horses had been seized and the stables shut down. Several people were taken to the police station for questioning and the investigation is continuing. Illegal horse racing remains widespread in Sicily , as well as in Calabria and Campania. …