Injured horse returned to work six months early before jockey’s fatal fall

An injured racehorse spent only half the amount of time that a vet recommended on paddock rest before a violent fall that killed an apprentice jockey in country NSW, a coronial inquest has heard.

Marina Morel was fatally crushed at the Gulgong racecourse on February 8, 2022 after the horse she was riding, Lina’s Choice, collapsed while galloping past the winning post.

Lina’s Choice shattered a bone in her front leg and slipped onto her front shoulder, throwing Morel onto the ground. Morel suffered catastrophic injuries as she was dragged along the ground as the horse slid along the racetrack, ending up “pinned” under the thrashing animal.

Morel was airlifted to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital and pronounced dead four days later, after her distraught mother arrived from France to be at her 30-year-old daughter’s side.

Lina’s Choice was euthanised on the track.

The 30-year-old French national had been training Lina’s Choice with her employer, Brett Thompson Racing, working under Thompson and his sons Ben and Kurt.

The “catastrophic” incident caused Racing NSW chief veterinary officer Dr Toby Koenig to quit his job after he had repeatedly expressed concerns about a cluster of horse fatalities at Thompson’s stables, an investigation by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald previously revealed.

Following calls from Morel’s mother, Maria, a coronial inquest began on Monday, four years after the fatal incident. The inquest is scheduled to run for five days before Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee.

The coronial inquest will examine whether Lina’s Choice’s pre-existing injury contributed to her fall.

In March 2021, Lina’s Choice, a four-year-old bay mare bred and trained by Thompson, sustained an injury in her front right leg during training. Veterinarian Jack Holman recommended the horse spend six weeks in a stable, followed by 12 months of paddock rest before returning to training or racing, the inquest heard.

However, in September 2021, just six and a half months into the recommended recovery period, Lina’s Choice returned to work.

Holman provided evidence that he wasn’t initially concerned, as ongoing injuries usually surface within weeks of training. He said after Morel’s death, he read literature that stated six months’ rest was adequate for the kind of injury Lina’s Choice had.

However, two veterinarians who assessed Lina’s Choice during the post-mortem will provide evidence the break could have been caused by a pre-existing stress fracture, fatigue or overloading, noting that horses are at higher risk during the first three weeks of returning to training.

Lina’s Choice completed two races in December 2021 and on January 31, 2022. The inquest heard no concerns were raised during these matches by the jockey, the foreman, or Morel.

However, a witness told police during their inquiries that a Thompson staff member said the horse shouldn’t have raced. That staff member denied the statement.

Lina’s Choice continued to be assessed by animal osteopath and chiropractor Dr Gary Christou, who provided evidence to the court that he last assessed Lina’s Choice on February 2, two days after her last race and six days before the fall.

He noted that Lina’s Choice had some stiffness and tension in her chest, but said it was a “minor” issue as he didn’t see any soreness with her joints. He cleared her for work but suggested monitoring the chest stiffness.

In May 2022, three months after Morel died, NSW Racing integrity staff inspected Thompson’s training premises and fined him $7000 for failing to keep NSW Racing informed of the status and whereabouts of 65 horses, a dozen instances of failing to keep treatment records, and a further breach of treatment protocols.

Counsel Assisting David Kell told the inquest Morel was “dearly loved by family and friends”, and was remembered as a “smiling and joyous” woman. Her death had a “profound impact” on many.

“She had a reputation as a good horse rider … [she] understood horses very well. Marina was a good horsewoman,” he said.

Her parents attended the hearing virtually from France, wiping their eyes as they listened to the evidence via a translator.

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