The racing community is mourning apprentice jockey Izzy Neale, whose promising career ended in tragedy after a fall at Warren Racecourse. Just 22, Neale died on Tuesday evening, two days after the accident, leaving her family and colleagues struggling to come to terms with the loss.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Neale was competing in the Warren Shire Cotton Cup on Sunday, November 8, when she was dislodged from Marnoo near the 400-meter mark of the 1,600-meter race. She lost consciousness and suffered serious head injuries. Medics treated her at the track before an air ambulance transferred her to Dubbo Hospital, where doctors placed her on life support.
Despite their efforts, Neale could not be saved. Her family confirmed her death in a statement shared by Racing NSW, saying she passed away surrounded by her closest family and friends.
“Izzy rode horses before she could walk. Her love of horses was a lifelong passion that, more recently, had grown into a love of racing,” the family said. The family said Neale’s organs would be donated, giving others a chance at life. The decision, they added, offered some comfort amid their loss. They thanked the racing community and medical staff while asking for privacy.
Neale had recorded 88 wins from 699 career starts. She had four rides earlier in Sunday’s program, including a fourth-place finish aboard Tampa Bay in Race 1. The final race at Warren was abandoned after the fall.
Marnoo suffered a severe foreleg injury and was euthanized. Senior rider Diego Montes de Oca was also dislodged from Shadow Dane and taken to hospital with a suspected broken foot. He was later discharged.
One detail from Neale’s final weeks has taken on a particularly poignant meaning. Her last career win came at Newcastle on October 31, when she rode Ole Steele, a filly trained by her boss, Scott Singleton.
Singleton revealed that Ole Steele had been bought for a family who lost their daughter, Olivia Steele. Born with a rare liver disease, Olivia received a liver transplant as a child. Years later, she needed heart, lung, and another liver transplants. She received the heart and lung but died in October 2021 while waiting for a liver. Her father, Brendan, died not long afterward.
Named in Olivia’s memory, the filly raced in her favorite colors. Her family later established The Steele Foundation to promote organ-donation awareness and support the Liver Transplant Unit at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
For Singleton, the connection between Ole Steele and Neale’s final act of generosity has made the loss even more emotional. “Looking back now that Ole Steele was Izzy’s last winner, I get goosebumps just talking about it,” he said. “Izzy’s family have now donated her organs to save other people’s lives. In a little way, at an extremely dark and difficult time, it puts a smile on your face. She was a special horse before but even more so now.”
Singleton also recalled telling Neale that he hoped his own daughter would grow up to be like her. “She was truly one of a kind,” he said. “A special, special person. We feel like we’ve lost a daughter, and I can’t imagine anything feeling worse. There are no words. Nothing makes you feel any better.” The impact Neale had on those around her extended far beyond the racecourse.
As news of her passing spread, colleagues, friends, and fellow jockeys found their own ways to remember the young rider whose presence had touched so many lives.
The racing community remembers a much-loved young jockey
Tributes have poured in from across Australian racing, with colleagues remembering Neale’s warmth as much as her talent. Trainer John Thompson, who worked with her, called her “an absolute beacon of shining light,” adding that she was “always happy” and “always smiling.” He said the world was poorer for losing a “beautiful young lady.”
Racing analyst Brad Davidson, former jockey Kayla Nisbett, reporter Trent Masenhelder, Sky Racing presenter Lewis Willoughby, and trainer Tracey Bartley also offered condolences.
The tributes moved beyond social media. Jockeys at Wednesday’s Balaklava meeting wore black armbands in Neale’s honor, while Scone Race Club lowered its flag to half-mast. Fellow apprentice Ella Drew shared a montage, saying Neale would be remembered by everyone fortunate enough to know her.
Perhaps the most personal tribute came from Neale’s brother, Tommy, who struggled to put his grief into words. “Izzy, I can’t believe what’s happened, aye … didn’t expect to be having meetings with doctors about pulling your life support,” he wrote. “Just know I love you so much, and you’ll always be my lil baby sister; you were my best friend, and we always were so close.”
He regretted the time they had spent apart, signing off: “Till we meet again, sis. Gonna miss you so much!!” Neale’s family hopes the lives her organ donation may help save will carry her generosity beyond her final race.