The 35-year-old jockey dies after a tragic double death during a dark weekend of racing
HORSERACING is in both shock and mourning a jockey died in hospital three days after a horror fall.
Italian news agency Ansa reported that Polish rider Dominik Pastuszka, 35, died after the accident in Pisa, Italy.
His horse also died as a result of the accident.
It follows the announcement of the death of 25-year-old Keagan Kirkby after being thrown from his horse at Charing Racecourse in Kent.
During a dark weekend for the sport, Pastuszka is said to have dismounted when his horse War Brave collided with an obstacle.
He was halfway through the Oleandro Prize's 3,500-metre gallop race at the San Rossore Hippodrome.
The veteran jockey, who lived in Italy, was taken to a hospital in Pisa.
Local media described him as unconscious at the time, in a critical condition with serious head and chest injuries.
Doctors pronounced him dead three days later.
Pastuszka leaves behind a wife and daughter of one and a half years old.
Most read in Horse Racing
The tragedy came as racing also learned of the death of Kirkby, who worked on the stable staff of champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
He fell during a point-to-point meeting after his horse ran through the fencing on the second circuit of the final race on Sunday.
The medical team on course and the air ambulance crew tried to save him.
After Kirkby's death was confirmed, Nicholls led the tributes, writing: “Everyone at team Ditcheat is devastated. Thoughts are with all his friends and family.
“He was passionate about his work and his driving style and rode Afadil every day.”
2
The 61-year-old, whose legendary stables are at Ditcheat in Somerset, described Kirkby as “one of our best, hard-working lads”.
He added: “Life is so hard sometimes, the winners are completely insignificant compared to what happened today.”
A spokesperson for the Injured Jockeys' Fund revealed how promising Kirkby's career had been.
They said: “Keagan was a respected member of the Paul Nicholls team, having joined in 2019 and being named employee of the month in December 2021.
“He was shortlisted for the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in the Rider/Groom category 2024.”
And Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, spoke of the “devastation” of her organization following the “tragic news” of his death.
She said: “The entire racing industry will mourn the loss of someone so young and with so much potential.
“The appreciation he received is evident from the fact that he was nominated for the Rider/Groom category of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards 2024 and advanced to the final 10 in his category.
“The nomination spoke to Keagan's qualities as a thoughtful rider who develops a personal bond with his horses, understanding their characters and adapting his riding accordingly, as well as his affable, helpful nature and popularity in the stable.”
The tragic deaths highlight the incredibly dangerous nature of the sport.