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Sorry, can’t help but following the horror fall of Sean Fox from Ice Saint a few years back, he was certainly lucky to escape with his life
Don’t know in the UK but Kieran Kelly sadly died after a fall at Kilbeggan in August 2003. He’d ridden Hardy Eustace to win the Sun Alliance Hurdle that March and had a great future ahead of him.
I think there was also a young rider attached to the Paul Nolan yard who was killed at a point-to-point before the Punchestown Festival in 2006. I remember it being mentioned after Accordion Etoile winning the Swordlestown that year.
I don’t think there has been one – well, certainly not that I can remember.
Brian Taylor, who rode in Britain for many years, did lose his life in hospital, after being thrown from his horse as he passed the winning post at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong.
Canadian George Woolff ( he of Seabiscuit v War Admiral fame ) also died during a race.
They are very rare and tend happen outwith British racecourses.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
I’m pretty sure the answer is Tom Halliday, who perished at Market Rasen on Sunday, July 3rd 2005.
He was the first jockey to be killed since Richard Davis lost his life at Southwell in July 1996.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
The last flat jockey in the UK (I think) I remember very well was Steve Wood in 1994. It happened close to the time of Declan Murphy’s bad accident, and I remember having many heated Uni discussions about the relative safety of the sport of horseracing.
Tom Halliday (spelling?) was only a couple of years ago, and Richard Davis died in about 1996. Philip Barnard (sp?) was early 90s.
Think on those statistics it works out about one every 5 years, but I think safety has improved, so these tragic accidents will hopefully become less frequent.
*edit: Jeremy, not copying you, I just need to type quicker!
There have been odd ones throughout the years, young Halliday at Market Rasen, Richard Davis at Southwell, Doug Barrott at Newcastle, Joe Blanks at Brighton and Steve Wood at Lingfield. Those are just off the top of my head, there’s probably more. I’m sure someone will furnish you with further details.
Not to forget, too, Sean Cleary, who died in Ireland in November 2003 after a fall in a flat race at Galway.
I believe Joe Mercer’s brother, Manny, was killed after being thrown on his way to the start many years ago – probably 1960s I guess. There was also an amateur rider who died about 7 or 8 years ago after a heavy fall at Goodwood.
Fortunately, its a rare occurence now; presumably thanks to better safety measures including protective wear, safety limits and on-course medical staff.
Jayne Thompson died following a fall at Catterick in November 1986. She looked after, and won a number times on a horse called Kindred, who pined for her after her death and died a couple of months later.
Michael Blackmore died at Market Rasen earlier in 1986.
Vivian Kennedy died at Huntingdon in 1988.
John Thorne was killed in a point-to-point not all that long after riding Spartan Missile to second place in the Grand National.
Not the most recent, but probably the most significant tragedy from a subsequent safety aspect was in July 1981, when Joe Blanks fell from his horse and collided with a concrete fixing post. He died a week later from his injuries.
Such things were soon removed from all racecourses. Seems incredible that we would let horses race within scraping distance of concrete bollards even in 1981. Talk about an accident waiting to happen.
Mike
Lets also not forget those that who have never ridden in a race but lost their lifes on the gallops.
A far more often occurence I think.
John Thorne was killed in a point-to-point not all that long after riding Spartan Missile to second place in the Grand National.
Yes, that was at a meeting at Mollington during the 1983 season. He was injured when the horse he’d parted company with landed on top of him, and he died from his injuries a day later. He was 55.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Thank you to "yeats" for remembering Doug Barrott. There used to be a race run in his memory but i don’t know if that still happens. I was an apprentice with him at Willie Stephenson’s in Royston. He was beginning to carve out a great career.
To the list of those who have lost their lives on the course I would like to add Ken Boulton who was killed at Uttoxeter in 1965.
There are others whose lives have been ruined by racing injuries. One of these was a lad named Peter Hoe. He rode a winner on his first ride and had a few more rides before coming down in a race and receiving head injuries. He was in a coma for a long time and when he came round he was not able to return to racing. His parents had that tragedy to deal with more than Peter I think.
" Seagram " said about the deaths on the gallops and he is quite right. I have known of a number of deaths ( not people I have known personally) on the gallops and in yards. There are , of course, many very bad injuries incurred by lads which don’t cause death but which ruin lives anway. These injuries very rarely make the pages of the newspapers or the television news. Again, very often it is the families of these lads who bear the brunt of the pain. I do speak from experience as I was kicked in the head when I was fifteen and had been in the job for four months. I now have a plate in my skull and epilepsy. I don’t write this in search of sympathy, I have led a very happy life ( it could have been easier of course <grin>) and I am not alone in having a bad head injury, but I write this to emphasise the point that there is sometimes more to the story of a good payout at the bookies than is ever thought about by the punters.
Best wishes,
G
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