Jockeys injured in major fall in Australian Guineas

Stewards have adjourned an inquiry into a fall in Saturday’s $1 million Australian Guineas, which left jockey Ethan Brown with a suspected internal abdominal injury.

Brown underwent surgery on Saturday to assist with internal bleeding and remains in a stable condition in the ICU at Royal Melbourne Hospital.

He is expected to have further surgery on Sunday.

Flemington’s feature race was marred by the fall, which occurred in the straight just a few hundred metres before the winning post, with jockeys Brown (Maximillius) and Mark Zahra (Holymanz) thrown from their horses.

Ethan Brown suffered a fall in Saturday’s Australian Guineas at Flemington.Credit: Vince Caligiuri, Getty Images

Zahra was able to walk away from the incident, declaring himself fit to continue to ride at the meeting, which was delayed by 40 minutes for another ambulance to arrive on course.

Stewards have adjourned an inquiry into the cause of the fall, to allow evidence to be heard from Brown. Zahra, Damien Oliver (Amenable) and Blake Shinn (Elliptical) will also be required to give evidence.

Both Maximillius and Holymanz were captured and trotted off course, and were vetted. Maximillius suffered a minor laceration to his left hind and to his head, while Holymanz had a minor abrasion. Both horses were otherwise fine.

Damian Lane replaced Brown on Smokin’ Romans in the Blamey Stakes, which was pushed back from 5pm to 5.40pm, while Zahra passed a doctor’s clearance to ride favourite Gentleman Roy, who finished fourth.

The Guineas was won by Kiwi raider Legarto, who swamped over the top of Attrition to deny Ballarat trainer Mitch Freedman a maiden group 1 triumph.

It did provide Ken and Bev Kelso with their first group 1 victory in Australia, however, and continued the hot form of Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Michael Dee, who won last week’s Blue Diamond.

Legarto won the Australian Guineas. Credit: George Sal, Getty Images

“It’s huge,” Ken Kelso said.

“We weren’t going to retire until we got a group 1 in Australia. We’ve only ever bought group 1 horses over here, and we’ve run about three seconds.

“She’s had a big season. She’s had two trips away. She flew Christchurch and here. We’ll chat to the owners, but we think as far as we’re concerned she should have a bit of a break and then come back and dream about Cox Plates, Caulfield Cups, that sort of thing.”

Lane said nothing went right for race favourite Jacquinot, who missed the placings.

“He ran super. Unfortunately, he didn’t begin as well as his last one, so I threw Plan A out the door, and I was quickly pushed in behind and out the back under a muddling tempo early,” Lane said.

“The ground I made in the run he produced between the 800 and 600 was outstanding. I just couldn’t possibly sustain that sprint for any longer. Not that it was the 1600 metres that ruled him out, it was just the run I had on him.”

Shinn said Elliptical appeared to race flat.

The Blamey Stakes was won by Nonconformist, who could next head towards the Australian Cup or the All-Star Mile. The victory was rider Harry Coffey’s first in a group 2 race, covering for Grahame Begg’s regular rider Jordan Childs, who won the group 2 Challenge Stakes on Begg’s sprinter Passive Aggressive in Sydney.

“I’m pretty rapt,” Coffey said. “I haven’t won a group 2 yet. That has been annoying me a little bit, and it is great to get a win in a race like that.”

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