Izzy Neale, 22, dies after fall as Australian racing mourns rising jockey

Australian apprentice jockey Izzy Neale has died from injuries suffered in a fall during a race at Warren, New South Wales, on Sunday. She was 22. Neale was taken by air to Dubbo Hospital and placed on life support after being unseated from Marnoo around 400 metres from the finish of the 1,600-metre Cotton Cup. The horse suffered an injury to its near foreleg and was euthanised. The remaining race on the day’s programme was called off, as was the following day’s card at Scone. According to the report, Neale’s death is the first fatality at a meeting in the region since Darren Jones died at Warialda in 2017. Her family announced that she died surrounded by close relatives and friends. They said Neale had been around horses since before she could walk and that her lifelong interest had developed into a passion for racing. The family added that she would be an organ donor, describing that decision as a source of some comfort amid their grief. They also thanked the racing community, Racing NSW and the NSW Jockeys Association for their support. Neale recorded her first win in February 2024 and went on to notch 88 winners. She was apprenticed to Randwick trainer John Thompson, who remembered her in a message on X as a bright, cheerful presence who was loved by those who knew her. He said her loss was heartbreaking. Fatal falls are uncommon in racing, the article notes. Its wider comparison points to five jockey deaths from falls in British and Irish jump racing over the past 25 years, while deaths in British flat racing have been rare. The report names Trevor Radford and Steve Wood among earlier British riders who died after falls.