Jockey facing more surgery as he remains in intensive care after horror fall

Jockey Ethan Brown is in intensive care and scheduled for his third straight day of surgery after a horror fall in Saturday’s $1 million Australian Guineas.

Brown, 23, suffered internal abdominal injuries and underwent surgery overnight on Saturday to assist with internal bleeding, the Victorian Jockeys Association confirmed on Sunday.

He remains in a stable condition at Royal Melbourne Hospital and is scheduled to return to theatre on Monday to further evaluate the full extent of his injuries.

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

Racing Victoria stewards have adjourned an inquiry into the cause of the fall, which occurred in the straight just a few hundred metres before the winning post.

Jockeys Brown (Maximillius) and Mark Zahra (Holymanz) were thrown from their horses as they passed the 300 metres mark. Maximillius appeared to roll on Brown.

Zahra was able to walk away from the incident and declared himself fit to continue to ride at the meeting. He was assessed on the track and cleared to complete his rides on Saturday after walking back to the jockeys’ room.

Meanwhile, Brown was taken straight to hospital.

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, with Price Kent Racing trainers saying on social media: “We are pleased to report that Maximillius has pulled up fine after his tumble at this stage”.

Similarly, Ciaron Maher Racing said on Twitter that Holymanz was OK and “back getting cuddles” after the fall.

Damian Lane replaced Brown on Smokin’ Romans in the Blamey Stakes, while Zahra passed a doctor’s clearance to ride favourite Gentleman Roy, who finished fourth.

The meeting was delayed by 40 minutes for another ambulance to arrive on course, pushed back from 5pm to 5.40pm,

Brown, Zahra, Damien Oliver (Amenable) and Blake Shinn (Elliptical) are all required to give evidence in the enquiry, with stewards still waiting to hear from Brown’s account.

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, but Flemington’s feature race was marred by the fall.

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

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

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.

Further updates are expected on Brown’s injuries by the Victorian Jockeys Association on Monday.