Young Australian jockey Izzy Neale has died after a fall from her horse Marnoo during a race at Warren Racecourse, with her family confirming organ donation.
Izzy Neale, a 22-year-old rider, was thrown from her mount during Sunday’s racing at Warren Racecourse in Australia and later died from her injuries, her family said.
BBC Sport reported that Neale was dislodged from the horse Marnoo, airlifted to Dubbo hospital, and passed away after the family announced her death on Tuesday.
The rest of the Cotton Cup meeting was abandoned. Marnoo suffered a serious leg injury in the accident and was euthanised. Fellow rider Diego Montes de Oca was hurt in the same race, treated for foot injuries, and later discharged.
The New York Post reported that Neale lost consciousness after the fall at the 400-metre mark of the Warren Shire Cotton Cup and was placed on life support at Dubbo Hospital, where she died with family present.
She had already had four rides earlier that day. Across her short professional career she recorded 88 wins from 699 starts after turning professional in 2024.
Montes de Oca, a senior rider in the same race, was also dislodged and suffered a suspected broken foot, according to that account. Officials stopped the remaining card once the scale of the accident was clear.
In a joint statement with Racing NSW, Neale’s family described a young woman whose path into the saddle started almost as soon as she could stand.
"It is with deep sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Izzy, surrounded by her closest family and friends."
The family continued:
"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."
They also said she became an organ donor, a decision they described as a source of comfort in raw grief.
"Through organ donation, Izzy will give others the chance of life, bringing some comfort to our family amid this devastating loss."
Relatives asked for privacy as they mourned and said she was dearly loved and would remain in their hearts. They thanked friends, the racing community, and others who stood with them.
The Australian Turf Club called Neale a talented young rider with a bright future. Trainer John Thompson, who worked with her, posted a tribute on X that stressed her manner as much as her results.
"An absolute beacon of shining light. Always happy. Always smiling. Loved by everyone who met her. The world is poorer for the loss of a beautiful young lady. Heartbreaking."
Those lines match the picture her family drew: a professional still early in her career, already trusted with a full book of rides, and known inside the stables for grit without complaint.
Horse racing leaves little margin. Jockeys weigh out light, travel at high speed, and depend on an animal that can change direction in a stride. When a fall comes at the business end of a race, the ambulance ride is part of the job description the public rarely sees.
Neale’s death puts that risk in plain view. So does the choice her family announced afterward. In the same week they lost a daughter and sister, they confirmed she would help strangers live.
Warren is a country meeting, not a global showcase. That did not make the work safer, or her ambition smaller. She turned pro in 2024, stacked up 88 winners, and kept showing up for the next mount.
Young workers who take real physical risk for a craft still set a standard worth noticing. Izzy Neale’s record was written in the saddle, and, at the end, in a final act that put other lives first.
