A jockey has been killed and two others have been seriously injured in a racing accident at a race meet at Warialda in northern New South Wales.
Photo: 123rf.com
Racing New South Wales said Darren Jones and two other female jockeys were involved in a three-horse fall during the Warialda Sprint.
The trio were taken to hospital and Mr Jones, 48, died upon arrival, police said.
The two women aged 21 and 41 are being treated for serious injuries including head trauma and concussion.
Spokesman for Racing New South Wales, Mark Brassel, said Mr Jones was a popular racing identity in the local area and the community was devastated by his death.
"[It's a] terrible tragedy, we're just in shock something like this can happen," Mr Brassel said.
"Darren Jones [was] a very very popular jockey in the Tamworth area. [He] rode a lot of winners for a long time and he was very well liked.
"We were all dumbstruck by this when we found out the news."
Mr Brassel said racing officials were helping police in their investigation and that the cause of the accident was not yet known.
-ABC
