Brendan Sweeney goes back to Darwin races after almost dying there in race fall

First picture: Jockey Brendan Sweeney came within seconds of dying in a Darwin race fall and has now made an emotional first trip back to the races more than a year on.

Injured jockey Brendan Sweeney (yellow shirt, centre) makes an emotional return to the Darwin races. Pictured from left: Jockeys Jarrod Todd, Paul Denton, Brendan Sweeney, Sairyn Fawke, Wayne Davis and Adam Nicholls. Picture: Greg Irvine/Magic Millions

Brendan Sweeney couldn’t hold back a flood of tears as he walked into the races for the first time since a shocking fall almost killed him last year.

“It’s been pretty emotional today, but I’m getting there,” Sweeney told News Corp Australia, as he returned on Wednesday to the Darwin Turf Club where he came within seconds of dying in June last year.

“I had so many tears in my eyes early in the day when I got here.

“I’ve been into the jockeys’ room and seen all the jockeys, it was great seeing (jockey) Wayne Davis as I’ve ridden with him for years.

“This is my first time at a race meeting since my fall.

“The Darwin Turf Club has flown me up for the week and for Darwin Cup (next Monday) and it’s just bloody great.”

The picture of Sweeney enjoying his time at the Darwin races on Wednesday is the first picture of him in public since last year’s devastating fall in Darwin.

Sweeney now lives with a brain injury and has no memory of more than a month of his life when he was in a coma after the shocking scenes.

Brendan Sweeney nearly died in a race fall last year.

He will never ride again but has previously told News Corp Australia he is grateful to simply be alive – he said it was only the actions of an anaesthetist who happened to be on track and jumped the fence and raced to his aid which saved his life.

Sweeney’s riding career kicked off in 1984 and he won apprentice premierships in South Australia in the 1980s.

He has had riding stints in the Northern Territory and New South Wales and during a break from the saddle worked as a miner, a fisherman and even a snake catcher.

Parts of Sweeney’s life will continue to be a battle but he is taking enormous pleasure from the simple things in life.

And he hopes one of them will come in Darwin later this week.

“I wouldn’t mind getting out mud crabbing and eating a few of them!,” Sweeney said.

“To be honest I could probably now even have a beer if I wanted to, but I don’t want to as I want to look after my health and I don’t want to fall over.

“My health could be better, my memory is not the greatest, but I’m going along OK.”

Sweeney’s first memory after his race fall was waking up in an Adelaide hospital and he has remained in Adelaide until venturing to Darwin this week.

Originally published as Brendan Sweeney goes back to Darwin races after almost dying there in race fall