Izzy Neale, the 22-year-old apprentice who “rode horses before she could walk”, dies two days after a fall at Warren

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

Her family announced her death on Tuesday in a statement released by Racing NSW. “It is with deep sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Izzy,” it said. She died in Dubbo Hospital with her closest family and friends around her.

The family said she had donated her organs, a decision they said would bring some comfort to those who loved her. “Izzy rode horses before she could walk,” they said.

What happened at Warren?

Neale was riding Marnoo in the Cotton Cup, the sixth race on the Warren card. About 400 metres from the finish of the 1,600-metre race, the horse went down.

A second apprentice, Diego Montes de Oca, was thrown from Shadow Dane in the same incident. Racing NSW said he had soft tissue injuries to his left foot, no fractures, and had been discharged from hospital.

Paramedics were called at about 4.45pm and found Neale unconscious with a head injury. She was treated on the track, then flown to Dubbo Hospital, where she remained in a critical condition until her death.

Marnoo was euthanised. Racing NSW stewards said the horse had an injury to its near foreleg.

Who was Izzy Neale?

She was a country rider on the edge of the city. Neale had 88 wins from 699 career rides and was apprenticed to Scone trainer Scott Singleton, after earlier time with Rod Northam at Scone and in John Thompson’s stable at Randwick.

In July she rode her first Sydney metropolitan winner, It’s A Tata, at Rosehill. Her last winner was Ole Steele at Newcastle on 31 October, eight days before the fall.

She had said earlier this year that she hoped to ride out her apprentice’s claim, the weight allowance given to young riders until they have won enough races, by the end of 2026, and then to try her hand in Sydney.

How dangerous is the job?

Race riding is among the most dangerous occupations in Australian sport. Jockeys weigh little more than 50 kilograms and sit on half-tonne animals moving at about 60 kilometres an hour, with a helmet and a padded vest between them and the turf. Most falls end in bruises or broken bones. A few do not.

The last jockey to die from a race fall in NSW or the ACT was the Italian-born Stefano Cherchi, who was 23 when he died in April 2024, two weeks after a fall at Canberra.

How has racing responded?

Racing NSW postponed Monday’s meeting at Scone, where she was based, after the fall, and moved it to Wednesday 11 November. Whether it goes ahead then had not been confirmed on Tuesday night. Barrier trials at Tamworth on Wednesday were abandoned.

The Warren Jockey Club and the Australian Jockeys Association both sent messages of support in the days after the fall. Neale’s family thanked Racing NSW, the NSW Jockeys Association and the medical staff who, they said, cared for her with great compassion.