3 min read Racing

Apprentice jockey Izzy Neale dies aged 22 after fall at Warren

Apprentice jockey Izzy Neale dies aged 22 after fall at Warren
Izzy Neale(Image: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Izzy Neale, a 22-year-old apprentice jockey from Merriwa in New South Wales, has died from injuries she suffered in a race fall at Warren on Sunday.

Neale was riding Marnoo in the Warren Shire Cotton Cup over 1,600 metres when she was dislodged at around the 400-metre mark. She suffered head injuries and was airlifted to Dubbo Hospital, where she remained in a critical condition. Marnoo suffered a near foreleg injury and was euthanased.

Her family announced her death on Tuesday in a statement released through Racing NSW. "It is with deep sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Izzy," they said, adding that she "rode horses before she could walk". Through organ donation, the family said, Izzy "will give others the chance of life, bringing some comfort to our family amid this devastating loss". They thanked the medical staff who cared for her, along with Racing NSW and the NSW Jockeys Association, and asked that their privacy be respected.

Fellow jockey Diego Montes de Oca was also dislodged in the race, from Shadow Dane. He was taken to Dubbo Hospital by road and has since been discharged with soft tissue injuries to his left foot and no fractures. Racing NSW postponed Monday's meeting at Scone after consulting the jockeys and trainers due to ride there.

A rider on the rise

Neale won on her first professional ride, Scruff's Magic, at the Condobolin picnic races in February 2024. Veteran race caller Colin Hodges, who remembered that win, told the ABC before her death that she had driven "hundreds and hundreds of kilometres" to western NSW for the ride, on a horse that was "probably the outsider of the whole race meeting". She went on to ride 88 winners from 699 starts, most recently on loan to Scone trainer Scott Singleton.

"She's become very, very successful," Hodges said.

What happens next

Racing NSW told the ABC it would conduct an inquiry into the incident. Equitas will report the findings when Racing NSW publishes them.

Our thoughts are with Izzy's family, her friends and everyone in the weighing rooms of New South Wales who rode alongside her.

If you need support

Izzy's death will be felt right across racing, by the people who knew her and by many who did not. If the news has hit you hard, or you are grieving, you do not have to carry it on your own. These services are free and confidential.

For grief and loss

  • Griefline (Australia): free telephone support for anyone experiencing grief. Call 1300 845 745, Monday to Friday, 10am to 8pm (Australian Eastern time), or visit griefline.org.au.
  • Bereavement Support Line, Irish Hospice Foundation (Ireland): freephone 1800 80 70 77, Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm, with a call back outside those hours. Details at hospicefoundation.ie.
  • Cruse Bereavement Support (UK): freephone 0808 808 1677. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30am to 5pm, and Tuesday, 1pm to 8pm. Details at cruse.org.uk.

For people working in racing

  • Racing Mates (New South Wales, Australia): Racing NSW's peer support programme, with trained ambassadors who know the racing world. Visit racingmates.com.au.
  • Industry Assistance Programme, Horse Racing Ireland and Equuip (Ireland): a free, confidential 24/7 helpline for everyone working in Irish thoroughbred racing and breeding, and their immediate families. Call 1800 201 346. Details at equuip.ie.
  • Racing Welfare (Britain): a 24-hour support line for people in British racing and breeding. Call 0800 6300 443, or visit racingwelfare.co.uk.
  • OnTrack (New Zealand): free, confidential and independent support for racing people. Call 0800 667 224, or visit ontrack.org.nz.

For the equestrian community

  • Riders Minds (UK, with online support internationally): a free, confidential 24/7 helpline for anyone involved in equestrianism. Call 0800 088 2073, text 07729 774 117, or use the live chat at ridersminds.org.

If you need to talk to someone now

  • Lifeline (Australia): call 13 11 14, 24 hours a day, or text 0477 13 11 14.
  • Samaritans (Ireland and UK): call free, day or night, on 116 123.
  • Text About It (Ireland): text HELLO to 50808, 24 hours a day.
  • Shout (UK): text SHOUT to 85258, 24 hours a day.
  • Anywhere else in the world: find a free helpline by country at findahelpline.com.
  • In an emergency: call 000 in Australia, or 999 or 112 in Ireland and the UK.
Sarah Elebert

Sarah Elebert

Equitas Co-Founder, an equestrian mum of three, rider and HSI Level 2 Coach. She is passionate about empowering women, keeping girls in sport, and supporting equestrian mums as they navigate horses, motherhood and everything in between.
Co.Meath, Ireland