Illegal Horse Race Featured Scooters, Gunfire and AK-47s

An illegal horse race in Sicily is under investigation after dramatic video showed horse-drawn carts racing down public roads while spectators fired guns into the air and followed on scooters.

The footage, reportedly recorded last Friday in the town of Palagonia near Catania, shows two jockeys racing at high speed along country roads in eastern Sicily.

Trailing behind them were dozens of spectators on scooters.

Some were seen firing pistols into the air, while others appeared to be carrying Kalashnikov rifles.

The video was posted on social media by animal rights activist Enrico Rizzi and quickly drew national attention.

According to police, the unauthorized race prompted an investigation that led officers to conduct searches of multiple stables in the San Cristoforo district of Catania.

Working alongside veterinarians from the regional health department, authorities identified and seized the horses believed to have been used in the race.

Two men, ages 40 and 45, were reported to prosecutors.

Italian newspaper La Sicilia reported that the stables involved were shut down and several additional individuals were questioned.

Authorities say illegal horse racing remains a recurring problem in parts of Sicily, Calabria, and Campania and is often linked to organized crime groups, including the Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and ’Ndrangheta.

These races can generate large amounts of undeclared cash, with illegal bets sometimes reaching thousands of euros on a single event.

Animal welfare organizations say the horses involved are often subjected to poor living conditions, whipping, and banned performance-enhancing drugs.

According to the Italian animal welfare group LAV, seven illegal horse races were stopped in 2024, resulting in 70 people being reported and 29 horses and one pony being seized.