BREAKING NEWS: Amateur jockey Lorna Brooke is in ‘serious but stable’ condition after being airlifted to Bristol hospital following horror fall off a horse trained by her mother at Taunton
- Lorna Brooke fell from Orchestrated during a race at Taunton on Thursday
- Amateur jockey is in a ‘serious but stable’ condition in a Bristol hospital
- She was airlifted from the course by air ambulance after racing was delayed
- Brooke is conscious and is undergoing tests for a suspected spinal injury
Amateur jockey Lorna Brooke is in a ‘serious but stable’ condition following her fall at Taunton.
Brooke, 37, was riding Orchestrated for her mother, Lady Susan Brooke, when falling at the third fence in Thursday’s Pontispool Equine Sports Centre Handicap Chase.
Racing was delayed by more than an hour as she was treated on track before being transferred into an air ambulance.
Jockey Lorna Brooke is in intensive care after a horrific fall in a race at Taunton
Brooke fell from horse Orchestrated at the third fence and was airlifted to a Bristol hospital
Brooke was riding Orchestrated for her mother, Lady Susan Brooke, during the Taunton race
Racing was suspended for an hour before Brooke was taken to hospital by air ambulance
The statement said Brooke was conscious and undergoing tests in hospital in Bristol
A statement released by the Injured Jockeys Fund said Brooke was in a ‘serious but stable’ condition as she underwent tests for a suspected spinal injury
A statement from the Injured Jockeys Fund on Friday morning said: ‘Amateur jockey, Lorna Brooke, is in Southmeads Hospital in Bristol after suffering a fall at Taunton Racecourse yesterday.
‘She is in intensive care in a serious but stable condition, and is conscious. She is undergoing observations and tests for a suspected spinal injury.
‘Her parents, Sir Alistair and Lady Susan Brooke kindly ask for privacy at this difficult time.’
The Cheltenham Gold Cup winning jockey Paddy Brennan posted this message on Twitter
Orchestrated was unscathed following the fall, with the day’s final race eventually going off an hour later than its slated 5.30pm start.
Clerk of the course Jason Loosemore said: ‘She [Lorna] was airlifted to Bristol Southmead Hospital for ongoing assessment and has been stabilised and was conscious throughout.
‘All of our thoughts are with Lorna, racing is irrelevant when incidents like that happen.’
Photographs of the horrific fall show Brooke land face-first into the turf at the Somerset track but she was said to be ‘awake and alert’ by the time paramedics reached her.
Racing fans took to Twitter to wish Lorna Brooke a full recovery following the fall
Racing TV Reporter Alex Steedman said: ‘I’m told she is awake and alert.
‘She was in communication it is just a case of what sort of physical condition she is in.’
Well-wishers from the world of horse racing and beyond took to Twitter to wish Brooke a full recovery.
The former Gold Cup winner Paddy Brennan wrote: ‘We’re all thinking of Lorna Brooke this evening.’
Legend of Zorro, with Bryan Carver on board, ultimately won the race on Thursday ahead of Minella Voucher and Leith Hill Lad.
Brooke has ridden 16 winners during her career, which began in 2001, with seven coming in the last five seasons. Her 183 rides in this five-year period had seen 10 second place finishes, 21 third places and 19 fourths.
Her winnings amounted to £28,923 during this time.