Tragedy of Ayr winner Freddy
Horror casts a shadow over racing
The news that broke late on Friday concerning Freddy Tylicki’s horrendous injuries following a four horse pile- up at Kempton earlier in the week has cast a huge shadow over the sport of horseracing.
To see someone so talented and so young as Freddy paralysed is devastating. He is only 30 and had a long and rewarding career ahead of him.
I often say to people that race riding must be one of the only professions where two ambulances and a team of paramedics follow you as you go about your work.
The fall at Kempton last Monday was made so much worse because it happened on the all- weather. As Jim Crowley, one of the other riders involved in the incident, remarked afterwards: “you don’t bounce when you fall on that surface”.
Initially, it appeared no one had been too badly hurt – Crowley had a broken nose, Ted Durcan fractured an ankle and Steve Drowne walked away unscathed.
Freddy, it was reported, was sitting up chatting and in good spirits but then there was silence until Friday’s shock statement.
The tight knit racing community immediately rallied round and a fund set up by racing broadcaster Matt Chapman topped £ 250,000 and will be transferred to a charitable trust set up by his family.
Friends of Freddy say he has the temperament to handle the situation but you can’t begin to imagine the thoughts going through the jockey’s head at the moment.
On this page there’s a photograph of Freddy riding a winner at Ayr back in 2011 for trainer Richard Fahey and owner Mrs Helen Steele. It was one of several winners Freddy rode at the track over the years – the bulk of them for Richard Fahey. Like many of the Fahey jockeys including Paul Hanagan, Barry McHugh, George Chaloner and Tony Hamilton Freddy is polite, articulate and so enthusiastic. His smile could light up the weighing room and I very rarely saw him without that trademark grin.
The words of support on social media and in newspapers for him from fellow jockeys, trainers and the racing industry underline just how popular he is.
Life goes on but we’ll never see the name Freddy Tylicki against a horse on the racing pages again. I hope that the support both financial and otherwise he receives will inspire him to find the strength to adapt to his unfortunate new circumstances.
And I also hope he finds a new challenge within racing something that means he remains within the sport he graced.
As racing journalist Colin Russell wrote earlier this week the one nagging question that is on everyone’s lips is ‘ why does it always happen to the nice guys?. Why indeed. There is no answer to that. Good luck Freddy.
By the time you have read this week’s column we will have staged our third meeting of the new jumps season on Wednesday afternoon.
We have two more before the end of the year on Monday, December 5 and Monday, December 19. In recent years we have increased the number of jump fixtures we stage and the new meetings have been added before Christmas which I feel adds to the ‘ spread’ of racing at the track.
With all the hype surrounding the build up to the festive period, what better a way to chill than a day out at Scotland’s premier track. More details at www. ayr- racecourse. co. uk or call 01292 264179.