‘SO HARD’

25-Year-Old Jockey Dies After Being Thrown From Horse at English Track

Keagan Kirkby, a point-to-point rider who worked for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, fell in the final event of the day at a racetrack in Kent.

A 25-year-old jockey suffered a fatal fall at a racecourse in southeastern England on Sunday, according to the The Daily Mail. Keagan Kirkby, a rider who worked for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, was thrown from his mount during the last event of the day at Charing point-to-point in Kent. In a statement to the Racing Post, the Injured Jockeys Fund explained that his horse “ran out through the wing of a fence on the second circuit of the final race.” Despite life-saving efforts by the on-course medical team and additional support from a medical helicopter, “he could not be saved,” the fund said. Nicholls, a 14-time champion, mourned the loss of his employee in a tweet, remembering him as a “passionate” rider. “Life is so hard sometimes, winners are totally insignificant compared to what has happened today,” the trainer wrote. “Sadly Keagan Kirkby, one of our best, hardworking lads, lost his life today riding in a point-to-point. All at team Ditcheat are mortified. Thoughts with all his friends and family.”