Tragic time for jockeys after falls

IT was a horrible weekend in Australian racing as two female jockeys lost their lives in riding incidents.

WINNING BOOST: Jockey Brad Stewart returns to the Ipswich enclosure after riding Spirit House to victory in the Brisbane Screenprinting Maiden at last Friday's meeting. Picture: Rob Williams

TURF CHAT

IT was a horrible weekend in Australian racing as two female jockeys lost their lives in riding incidents.

On Friday morning at Cranbourne, 22 year old Mikaela Claridge lost her life after a trackwork fall.

With respect to the devastated Victorian racing community, the Pakenham races set down for Friday were abandoned.

This Pakenham meeting corresponded to the Ipswich race program, which was left with Tamworth as the only Australian meetings on Friday as the NSW meeting at Gosford was abandoned as well due to the state of the track.

In Darwin on Saturday, a horror couple of days continued with 32 year old Melanie Tindall losing her life after a race fall at the Fannie Bay racetrack.

Both riders were highly respected in their communities.

The weekend tragedies reminded all of just how dangerous the profession of horse riding can be as half tonne equines do as they are bred to, travelling at 60 kilometres per hour.

The race meeting at Fannie Bay was also cut short as the horrible scene played out.

Condolences and best wishes to family and friends of these two much admired jockeys have been flowing from across the country.

Gollan back on top

THE bid by Tony Gollan to win his sixth consecutive Ipswich Premiership was given a boost early in the day last Friday when he trained the first two winners on the card.

Brad Stewart rode Spirit House to win the second of the day after Combativite gave jockey Jim Byrne his fifth winner for August in the first of the day.

After the first month of the new year, Tony Gollan moved to top of the trainer's ladder with four wins, leading the Toby and Trent Edmonds stable by just one.

Jim Byrne is clear by just one win in front of Ryan Maloney who continues his good form of last season.

Keal double

YOUNG 1.5kg claiming apprentice Nick Keal had a good day at Ipswich on Friday as he collected two winners.

Keal's star continues to rise as he maintains his impressive 24% win strike rate of the past 12 months.

Keal's winners were Star Centre for Toowoomba's Kevin Kemp, and the Ballina trained See it Through for Stephen Lee.

After the Ipswich double, Keal collected a win at Eagle Farm on Saturday with a galloper with staying promise in Looks Like Elvis, before riding a winning double at Toowoomba on Sunday.

Nice pay day

IPSWICH trainer Bradley Smith had a nice pay day as he collected a winning double at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

In the process he trebled the stable's number of wins for the past year.

The winners were The Knight and Real Cute, ending a drought of stable wins dating back to 2018 when Betajet won at Toowoomba.

Memsie justice

FORMER Western Australian galloper Scales of Justice collected the first Melbourne Spring Group 1 title on Saturday at Caulfield as the season gets off to a stuttering start.

After an upset last week in the Winx Stakes in Sydney, there is a fortnight's break prior to the next Group 1 races of the carnival on September 14, for the Makybe Diva at Flemington in Melbourne, and the George Main Stakes at Randwick in Sydney.

The Sydney carnival is completed with the Everest on October 19 at Randwick and in Melbourne the carnival is rounded out with eight Group 1 races at Flemington during Cup week which ends on November 9.

Next meetings

The next Ipswich meeting is tomorrow followed by programs on Wednesday, September 11 and Friday, September 20.