Jockey's fall puts focus on state of track

Judy Lawson

Champion lawn bowler Gary Lawson can only wait and hope for his wife to wake from a coma after a fall on a controversial horseracing track.

Mr Lawson told the Herald he was "very interested" in seeing the outcome of inquiries into the state of the North Canterbury track his wife, top jockey Judy Lawson, was racing on.

She fell and suffered serious head injuries when her mount, Strike It Lucky, slipped on the wet turf.

"They've taken her off the drugs, so hopefully she will just wake up of her own accord now. She's had an operation, but from all accounts that's gone okay. It's just a time thing and no one really knows until these things settle down."

Another jockey, Tracey Newton, was also injured when her horse crashed over Mrs Lawson and her fallen mount. Newton was taken to Christchurch Hospital and later discharged.

As a result of the incident on Monday, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Paul Bittar has asked for reports from the track inspector and chief steward present at Rangiora Racecourse, which has a history of accidents and rider injuries.

Mr Bittar said he would then decide on any further action, such as a full investigation into the racecourse and possible closure.

"The role of the guys running the race meeting is to ensure the safety of people and I'm sure everyone is pretty upset about what occurred. There is certainly no cavalier attitude adopted in these circumstances."

Mr Lawson, a Commonwealth Games bowls representative, said: "You hope that the decisions to race ... were the right ones and that once they have done the investigation you hope it doesn't come out that people made bad decisions, because possibly that's what it's looking like".

He did not want to speculate on whether his wife should have been racing. "But I have to say I am interested to see the report and what they come up with, because people in a far better position than me have said there is no way they should have been [racing]."

Messages of support had come from around the country and even from strangers, Mr Lawson said. The couple's 4-year-old daughter, Gemma, was not fully aware of what had happened.

"We'll take that day by day."

Mr Lawson said he and his wife always knew there was a risk with her riding, but he never expected something like this. "Every jockey knows there is a danger. But it's like motor racing. It's in their blood and they love it. It's not the sort of thing you really talk about that often. You just hope it doesn't happen."

Chief Stipendiary Steward Stewart Ching said he had been told not to comment when contacted by the Herald yesterday.

Earlier, he told National Radio there might have been some patches on the track on which the horses slipped.