“SHE LOVED HORSES BEFORE SHE COULD EVEN WALK…” — APPRENTICE JOCKEY IZZY NEALE, 22, diᩚєs AFTER HORRIFIC RACE FALL, AS HER FAMILY REVEALS HER FINAL GIFT WILL SAVE LIVES

The Australian horse racing community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of rising apprentice jockey Izzy Neale, who has died at just 22 after suffering catastrophic injuries in a racing accident in New South Wales.

Neale was seriously injured during Sunday’s Warren Shire Cotton Cup at Warren Racecourse. She was airlifted to hospital in ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal condition, where doctors fought to save her life.

After two agonizing days, her family confirmed the devastating news on Tuesday evening, November 10.

She passed away surrounded by her closest family and friends.

But amid the unbearable grief, her loved ones have revealed one final act of generosity: Izzy will become an organ donor, giving other people the opportunity to live.

A HORRIFIC FALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

The accident happened on Sunday, November 8, during the Warren Shire Cotton Cup, a 1,600-metre horse race in Warren, in the central west of New South Wales, Australia.

Neale was riding Marnoo, a six-year-old gelding, when the horse suffered a serious injury to its near foreleg and fell near the 400-metre mark.

The young jockey was thrown heavily from the horse and lost consciousness.

The incident also involved experienced jockey Diego Montes de Oca, who was dislodged from his mount, Shadow Dane, shortly afterward.

Emergency personnel rushed to assist both riders.

Neale received immediate attention at the racecourse before being airlifted to Dubbo Hospital with ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal injuries, including reported head injuries.

Montes de Oca was transported to hospital by road with injuries to his left foot.

Medical examinations later found soft tissue injuries, with no fractures identified. He was subsequently discharged.

For Izzy, however, the situation was far more serious.

TWO DAYS OF HOPE — AND A HEARTBREAKING GOODBYE

At Dubbo Hospital, Neale remained in ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal condition.

She was placed on life support as medical professionals worked to save her.

Friends, fellow jockeys, trainers and members of the racing community anxiously followed updates, hoping against hope that the young rider would recover.

But despite the best efforts of the medical team, she could not be saved.

On Tuesday evening, her family confirmed that Izzy had passed away, surrounded by the people who loved her most.

Their announcement sent shockwaves through Australia’s racing community.

A promising young athlete, whose future had seemed full of possibilities, was gone at just 22.

HER FAMILY’S HEARTBREAKING STATEMENT: “IZZY RODE HORSES BEFORE SHE COULD WALK”

In a statement released through Racing NSW, her family shared the words that perhaps best captured who Izzy was.

They remembered a young woman whose connection with horses began almost as soon as she entered the world.

“Izzy rode horses before she could walk,” her family said.

Her love of horses had been a lifelong passion, one that eventually developed into a deep love of horse racing.

What began as a childhood fascination had become her career, her ambition and an important part of her identity.

Her family described their loss as devastating and expressed gratitude to everyone who had supported them throughout the ordeal.

They also asked for privacy as they begin to navigate life without their beloved daughter and family member.

HER FINAL GIFT: GIVING OTHERS A CHANCE TO LIVE

Among the most moving details of the family’s announcement was the revelation that Izzy would become an organ donor.

Even in the aftermath of an unimaginable tᩚraɢedy, her family found some comfort in knowing that her final act could help save other lives.

“Through organ donation, Izzy will give others the chance of life, bringing some comfort to our family amid this devastating loss,” they said.

For her loved ones, this decision represents a powerful legacy.

Although her own journey ended far too soon, her generosity may allow other families to experience more time with the people they love.

It is a final gift that has touched people across the racing community.

A PROMISING CAREER CUT SHORT AT JUST 22

Although only 22, Neale had already achieved remarkable milestones in Australian horse racing.

During her professional career, she recorded 88 victories across 699 rides.

She had built a reputation as a determined and talented apprentice, earning opportunities to compete at major racing meetings.

One of the highlights of her career came in July 2026, when she rode It’s A Tata to victory in a TAB Highway Handicap at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney.

That win was an important moment for the young jockey, demonstrating the progress she had made since beginning her professional racing career.

Neale was working with trainer Scott Singleton at Scone and had become a familiar face within the regional racing community.

On the Sunday of the accident, she had already competed in four races before the fatal incident.

Her fourth-place finish aboard Tampa Bay in the opening race was among her results that day.

There was still so much she hoped to achieve.

Her career, however, was tragically cut short before she could reach many of those dreams.

THE RACING COMMUNITY STOPS TO MOURN

Following the accident, the remaining race on Sunday’s Warren program was abandoned.

The following day’s scheduled meeting at Scone was also postponed out of respect for Neale and the wider racing community.

Marnoo, the horse involved in the accident, suffered a severe injury to its near foreleg and was euthanized.

Racing NSW and the NSW Jockeys Association offered support to Neale’s family throughout the difficult period.

Her family specifically thanked the medical professionals who cared for her, as well as friends, colleagues and members of the racing industry who had shown compassion and kindness.

Tributes have also poured in from jockeys, trainers and racing figures who remembered Izzy as a much-loved young woman whose passion for horses was evident to everyone around her.

The tᩚraɢedy has left a deep mark on a close-knit sporting community.

A YOUNG LIFE REMEMBERED — AND A LEGACY THAT WILL CONTINUE

For those who knew Izzy, she was more than the number of races she won or the achievements listed beside her name.

She was a daughter, a friend, a colleague and a young woman who had spent much of her life pursuing the passion she loved.

At 22, she had already made her mark on Australian horse racing.

Now, her family faces the unimaginable task of saying goodbye.

But through her decision to become an organ donor, Izzy’s story will carry a different kind of hope.

Somewhere, another person may receive the chance to keep living because of her final gift.

Her family may never have imagined that their beloved Izzy would leave the world this way.

But they will always remember the little girl who loved horses before she could even walk — and the young woman who followed that passion all the way into professional racing.

🕊️ Rest in peace, Izzy Neale. You were only 22, but your final act of kindness may give others a lifetime they would otherwise never have had.

Gone far too soon. Never forgotten.