Mikaela Claridge death: Young female jockey dies after falling off horse, aged 22

Recently-married jockey died in the early hours of Friday morning after falling off a horse that was spooked during trackwork at Cranbourne Racecourse in Victoria

(Racing Photos via Getty)

Female jockey Mikaela Claridge has died after falling from her horse during the early hours of the morning at Cranbourne Racecourse near Melbourne, aged 22.

Claridge was riding on the sand trails at the training centre around 4:30am when she was dislodged from her saddle, according to a statement issued by Racing Victoria [RV], and she was attended to by the on-course paramedic.

In a statement, RV said: "It is with great sadness that Racing Victoria and the Victorian Jockeys Association [VJA] confirm the passing of 22-year-old apprentice jockey Mikaela Claridge as a result of injuries sustained in a trackwork accident at the Cranbourne Training Centre this morning.

"Mikaela was dislodged from her horse while riding on the sand trails on the southern side of the Training Centre at approximately 4.35am. She was attended to by the on-course paramedic but was tragically unable to be saved.

"WorkSafe, with the cooperation of the Cranbourne Turf Club, are investigating the circumstances of the accident."

RV chief executive Giles Thompson added: “On behalf of the Victorian racing industry, I would like to extend our prayers and heartfelt condolences to Mikaela’s family and friends on the tragic news of her passing as a result of a training accident this morning.

“Mikaela was a talented young rider who was pursuing a career in the sport she loved. She was a much loved and valuable member of the racing community and her sad passing is being felt by many within our industry today.”

Claridge had recently got married and was out riding with another jockey when both of their horses were spooked by something, though the reason for the incident remains unknown.

“Both horses shied at the same thing, whatever that thing was, it could’ve been anything, you wouldn’t know,” trainer Ken Keys told the Herald Sun.

All remaining trackwork at Cranbourne Racecourse was cancelled as a result of the tragedy, and an eight-race meet at nearby Pakenham has also been called off.

Claridge returned to riding in 2017 following a back injury and made her debut in August 2019 at Wangaratta racecourse, finishing in second on King’s Hand. Her first victory came on the same horse a month later at Echuca, and she claimed 29 victories in total before her fatal accident.

Australian horse industry figures show 20 jockeys have been killed in the country since 2000, 17 of them during races and three during trackwork. In February, a Victoria state trainer died, also after falling from a horse during a training run.