Pat Keane and Jake Bayliss injured in fall at Sandown
Two jockeys who were injured when their horses fell at Sandown were being treated at the Alfred Hospital on Wednesday night.
Stewards opened and then adjourned an inquiry into the fall which involved Cranbourne apprentice Jake Bayliss and senior jockey Patrick Keane.
Bayliss was riding Bonnie Belle for Michael Moroney when the mare clipped the heels of a runner in front at the 600m mark. The mare crashed to the turf, with Keane’s mount Big Delight, trained by Tom Cowan, crashing over the top of Bonnie Belle.
The fallen horses had been running in the middle of the field in the fourth race — the Schweppes Handicap (1600m). Both jockeys were conscious and moving their limbs as they were treated on the track by medical staff.
Keane was complaining of soreness to the right side, including to his shoulder, ribs, pelvis and knee. Bayliss was experiencing pain to his left shoulder and lower right leg. Both were in stable condition last night.
The fifth race was delayed for nearly 35 minutes.
Bayliss’ brother Regan is an apprentice to David Hayes and Tom Dabernig and spoke of the horror of his brother being involved in the fall.
“For any jockey to fall, you just get that sick feeling in your stomach but for it to be your brother, you just can’t explain the feeling,” he said. “I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
“As soon as I found out he was conscious, that was my first big relief. Bones and fractures can always heal, but if he was unconscious it could have been a lot worse.”
UPDATE: Both horses appear ok after fall at Sandown. Jockeys Jake Bayliss & Pat Keane will be taken to hospital, both are conscious.
— MelbourneRacingClub (@MRCTrackNews) July 27, 2016
The Bayliss brothers’ jockey father, Jamie, suffered a badly broken leg in a recent incident at Geelong races when he was thrown from his horse near the mounting yard before the start of the race.
Before adjourning the inquiry, stewards interviewed Dwayne Dunn and apprentice riders Ben Allen and Ben Thompson.
Both Allen and Thompson said they weren’t aware of the fall until the end of the race, while Dunn said he was near the incident, but didn’t believe he was part of it.
Dunn said there was a bunching of the field and there was minor movement when Bayliss’ horse clipped heels. He said Keane had nowhere to go but over the top of Bayliss’ falling horse.
