Prayers Pour In as Horrific Update on Horse Racing Injury Confirms Jockey’s Status

The Garrowby Stakes had brought out the horse racing fans on Sunday, September 7. The big feature race had all the ingredients to be a thrilling contest, with top favorite Almeraq supposed to battle Prince of India and Elmonjed. But what unfolded was beyond horrific and anything that fans could have anticipated. Horse racing accidents are always dreaded. And when it happens, you pray for the mildest of consequences. But at the York racecourse, things got as bad as they could be. Two horses went down, jockeys in a heap, and had to be hospitalized. One of them was Almeraq rider Jim Crowley, the other, Trevor Whelan, aboard Tiger Bay. And the latter jockey himself took to X to share the update on how things were.

It was such a scary scene as both jockeys needed urgent medical attention on the track itself. But they were promptly taken to the Leeds General Infirmary with suspected lower limb fractures. And Whelan’s update on September 8 filled us in on the rest. “Thanks for all the get well messages much appreciated I’ve broken my leg in 3 places and due for an operation on it as well”.

This was not at all how the Listed race was supposed to go. The 6-furlong race started with the usual gusto, with the field of 9 horses vying for the £70,000 purse. But about 2 furlongs from the end post, things went horribly wrong as British flat race Champion jockey Jim Crowley tried to thread a gap between two of the horses in front.

As the gap closed on him, Crowley’s mount clipped heels and went down unceremoniously. Whelan, who was following tight behind, couldn’t avoid and also came down. For Crawley, the verdict is even worse, feared to have broken his leg and his pelvis. And the 47-year-old British jockey has already undergone an operation on Monday morning.

The horse racing fans at the York racetrack immediately knew it wasn’t a pretty picture. The extent they didn’t know, but maybe they could fear something was terribly wrong. The news soon came to their relief that both the jockeys were breathing. And the fans have been taking to online to pray for the two jockeys’ well-being.

Horse racing fans unite in prayers for all jockeys everywhere

It will be a lengthy lay-off for both Crowley and Whelan. And they have the whole horse racing community beside them in his difficult recovery. Fellow racehorse trainer Tony Carroll wished him a safe and quick recovery with his message: “Take care of yourself. All the best from us here.” Similarly, one fan shared, “Sorry to hear this, it looked a really nasty fall. Wish you a speedy recovery!”

One fan who went to the track and saw it happen live also joined in with his message of support for the British jockey. “All the best Trevor. I was at York yesterday and saw the terrible incident. Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery, despite it unfortunately being a long one!” We can expect Trevor Whelan to be away from horse racing for maybe even a year, with how he has gotten fractures in 3 places.

One longtime fan could only think of what unfolded on Sunday, as if everything that could go wrong did come to pass in the fateful race. “Sorry to hear this.  In all my years of watching flat racing I’ve never seen anything like this accident b4. All the very best for the operation and your recovery.”

This accident had happened on Sunday, one could say it is always a possibility in a sport where the margin of error is so thin, and the risk of heels clipping, horses bumping into one another can always lead to calamity. A few days ago, something similar thankfully didn’t lead to anything calamitous for iconic jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. But it easily could have.

And the weekend really showed how bad it can be for a jockey. In the Fontwell races, David Noonan was kicked in the face by a horse before the second race on Sunday. So, one fan shared a message of prayer for not only Whelan but also Jim Crowley and David Noonan. “Best wishes and fingers crossed for a straightforward speedy recovery. Sending best wishes to Jim Crowley and David Noonan as well.”

Similarly, another fan wrote, “Hope the op goes well, the pain is manageable and you’re feeling much better soon. Awful accident to witness. Hope Jim and David are doing OK too.” With the awfully distressing news that has been coming out about the jockeys lately, the horse racing community has tried to extend their support for the amazing people who risk so much for their passion.