A horse on a racetrack was petrified after an alligator nicknamed ‘Marty’ made a slow crossing just a few metres away.

During a nine-race meeting at Delta Downs in California, the reptile managed to get in there.

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A bystander named Joe Allen captured the frightening incident on camera and later decided to share it on Facebook.

While a handler attempts to take his horse a few metres away, the alligator was seen steadily crossing the dirt track.

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The horse was aggravated as it began to circle the handler.

Internet users have now responded to the video.

A muffled user wrote, “I’ve heard of horses ‘coming from behind a tree’ to win with a magnificent final straight burst from the back of the field… but alligators/crocodiles appearing from behind a fence post? That’s a first for me.”

Another user wrote – “That horse knows he wants to be nowhere near that thing!!”

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A third user wrote -“I think this gator is well known there, they have a name for him and everything.”

As per reports, numerous alligators live at the Delta Downs racetrack in southwest Louisiana.

Experts think the predators are attracted to the area by dams surrounding the racetrack.

Alligators can move in a variety of ways. They have the ability to swim, walk, run, and even crawl.

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Alligators, unlike most reptiles, walk with their legs directly beneath them rather than diagonally. This allows them to move while lifting their tails off the ground.

Alligators, as cold-blooded reptiles, go into dormancy when the weather gets cold. To protect themselves from extreme heat and cold, they have been known to dig tunnels 65 feet (20 metres) long.