James Doyle suffers broken collarbone as 'horrendous' fall leaves horse fatally injured
The top Flat jockey broke his collarbone in a racing spill at Chelmsford when his mount Forever Proud fell and will miss key rides for Wathnan Racing
Top Flat jockey James Doyle is facing three to four weeks out of action as a result of 'pretty horrendous' racing fall. Doyle is retained by Wathnan Racing, the racing team owned by the Emir of Qatar which is becoming an increasingly powerful force in the horse racing world.
The 36-year-old was riding Forever Proud, from the Newmarket stable of James Owen, at Chelmsford on Friday when the mare went wrong approaching the furlong pole and suffered a fatal injury.
Doyle was taken to hospital and later posted on social media, 'Thanks to everyone who has wished me well following my fall at Chelmsford today. My thoughts go out to James Owen and the connections of Forever Proud.
'I've unfortunately sustained a broken collarbone and while this is obviously sore, I'm otherwise ok. Looking forward to being back on a racecourse soon.'
Forever Proud was owned by Deva Racing and had won six times and four times in the last six months.
The syndicate posted: "With great sadness, we share that Forever Proud sustained a fatal injury this afternoon at Chelmsford. A wonderful mare who gave us four wins this AW season and so much heart. Our deepest sympathies to her owners and James Owen's team who cared for her so lovingly.'
Doyle will miss an important week in the calendar for Wathnan Racing horses with Royal Ascot winner Haatem due to return to action on Friday at Sandown where Derby contender Damysus will also run. On Sunday Doyle would have been aboard Map Of Stars in the Group 1 Prix Ganay.
Giving an update on the jockey, Wathan's racing manager Richard Brown told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, 'We're just waiting for a full prognosis in the next 24 hours and then we'll know whether he requires surgery or not, but he's certainly going to be out for three of four weeks which is a big blow for us at this time of year.
'I think having seen the fall, if you'd said 60 seconds afterwards, would you take a broken collarbone, I think all of us would have said yes. It was pretty horrendous watching. It was a nasty high speed fall.'
Brown said William Buick would deputise for Doyle on Haatem in the bet365 Mile with Kieren Shoemark on Damysus if Buick is claimed by Godolphin in the bet365 Classic Trial.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
Dwyer reaches for blinkers as Asfoora defends Ascot title
The six-year-old is one of 26 confirmations for the Royal Ascot feature over the minimum distance and she has happily settled back into familiar surroundings on Newmarket's Hamilton Road ahead of her bid for back-to-back victories at the meeting. 'Everything is going well and she has travelled over really well,' said trainer Henry Dwyer. 'We were a bit apprehensive over the logistics of it because last year we were here eight weeks before Ascot and had a lead-up run at Haydock which I thought was vital, whereas this year we've tried to do as much as we could at home and arrived later and then straight to Royal Ascot. 'We simply couldn't get a flight and in an ideal world we would have been here earlier. We were thinking of going to France and having a lead-up run there which would have been good, but as it turned out we couldn't get here in time. 'I think she's a different horse this year and seems to be recovering really well and reserving herself a little bit. 'Even in her work she's a different horse and she used to be really lit up and bouncy and blowy for a bit after her work because she was revved up, but now she's sort of come back to us a bit. 'I think the blinkers may have been the missing link and I've always wanted to put blinkers on her as she is quite a 'looky' horse and now I think she has been holding back a little bit, the blinkers might add that little one per cent we need.' Everything going swimmingly in the UK for #Asfoora . Big thanks to Simon & Ed Crisford @gainsboroughHQ for letting us take a dip of an afternoon. — Henry Dwyer Racing (@HDwyerRacing) June 8, 2025 Oisin Murphy rode Asfoora last term and the champion jockey is set to renew his association having been impressed when partnering the antipodean challenger in a racecourse gallop earlier this week. 'I think her fitness is good and she seems in a good place, Oisin seems confident so I just hope he's right,' added Dwyer. 'Oisin galloped her on Monday on the July course which was a luxury as it was like a bowling green, it was beautiful ground. 'They ran an easy furlong from the five furlong to the four, then went sharp for 600 metres and she steamed through the line with the blinkers on and pulled up like she hadn't been round.' Royal Ascot is set to be the first leg of an extended stay in the northern hemisphere for Asfoora, with Dwyer ambitiously eyeing races into the autumn after seeing his stable star thrive in Britain last term. 'Knowing that we wanted to get past York this time, we gave her two runs less in Australia this year,' explained Dwyer. 'She will run at Goodwood and York again, and then we would like to go to Ireland and France, but it depends on her. If she is in good order, we will be doing that and two less runs might mean heading to Ireland and France and I would love to get her there. 'It would be a real feather in the cap and bucket list item to just turn up there and would be a really special experience.' Ed Bethell's Regional and George Boughey's Believing were second and fourth behind Asfoora last year and are in line for another crack at their conqueror of 12 months ago, while others to feature amongst the confirmations include new Wathnan Racing recruits Flora Of Bermuda (Andrew Balding) and Night Raider (Karl Burke), who finished second and third respectively behind Inisherin at York last month. Mgheera is unbeaten in two stars for Ed Walker and heads to the race in peak condition, while Jane Chapple-Hyam's Cecil Frail Stakes second Prime Art has been supplemented at a cost of £46,000. The four-year-old underwent a racecourse gallop on Wednesday morning in the hands of Billy Loughnane and Chapple-Hyam said: 'I was very happy with her, Billy was happy as well. She's come on a ton since finishing second in the Listed race at Haydock and I'm very happy.'
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
Zarigana team content with Coronation choice
Successful on three of her first four starts for Francis-Henri Graffard in the colours of the late Aga Khan, the Siyouni filly passed the post second to the Charlie Fellowes-trained Shes Perfect in the French 1000 Guineas, the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, before being promoted to first by the stewards. Zarigana could have taken on Shes Perfect again in the French Oaks at Chantilly on Sunday, but she will instead stick to a mile on the penultimate day of the Royal meeting next week. Zarigana wins the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in the stewards' room! 🏆 — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 11, 2025 Nemone Routh, racing manager for the Aga Khan Studs, said: 'The trainer was very keen to run Zarigana in Ascot. We obviously did consider the Prix de Diane because I think she relaxed a lot more last time and she seems to be gaining maturity in her races, so it did become more of an option to consider the Diane for her. 'But I think Francis has trained her more to race over a mile in this first part of the season, that doesn't mean that we wouldn't stretch her out later in the year. I think he felt it was always part of the programme that he had set aside for her that she would go to Royal Ascot after the Pouliches, especially as we had other fillies for the Diane. 'Zarigana is due to have her last piece of work tomorrow (Thursday) morning. She worked last week and is in good form, so provided all goes well tomorrow, I imagine it's all systems go for Royal Ascot.' In Zarigana's absence, the Aga Khan's team will be doubly represented in the Prix de Diane Longines, with French Guineas third Mandanaba carrying the colours of the late owner's daughter Princess Zahra and Listed scorer Cankoura also in the mix. Routh added: 'Principally I think His Highness and Princess Zahra identify themselves as breeders who like to race their horses, and having fillies that are capable of running well in this race is one of our principal objectives of the year. 'We love to have fillies that can perform at the top level, the Prix de Diane is a race His Highness loved to have runners in and obviously he holds the record for the winning-most owner, and all of those fillies were bred by him as well. 'It's a very special race for our organisation and we're very happy to have two runners this year in the two different silks'.'
Glasgow Times
4 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Field Of Gold on course for 'round two' with Ruling Court
The Clarehaven hotshot suffered defeat at Newmarket to Charlie Appleby's Justify colt – who was a late withdrawal from the Derby due to rain-softened ground – but gained Classic redemption in sublime style at the Curragh last month. 'Round two with Ruling Court is exciting and is what Royal Ascot is all about. There will be a fabulous line-up of horses in a lot of races,' said Gosden, who watched some of his team for the Royal meeting work on Newmarket's July course on Wednesday morning. Some performance from Field Of Gold 👏 🥇#ITVRacing — ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 24, 2025 'There was no need for him to come and have a gallop today as he's only just run in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, but he's fine and heading to the St James's Palace.' Having followed in the footsteps of his sire Kingman almost symmetrically to this point, Gosden is now hoping he can replicate his father once again by scoring in a blockbuster opening-day clash also contains Aidan O'Brien's Poule d'Essai des Poulains champion Henri Matisse. However, to do so the long-striding grey could need the draw gods to shine favourably and Gosden continued: 'We will have to see how the race works out and you have to take a good look at the draw haven't you over the mile at Ascot. RULING COURT strikes in the @Betfred 2000 Guineas! — Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 3, 2025 'If you're drawn on the inside you might never see daylight and we'll see how that draw goes and take things from there.' Gosden, who has won the St James's Palace Stakes three times among his 66 Royal Ascot winners, also gave his backing to Colin Keane, who was on the July course assisting in preparations after securing the prime position of Juddmonte retained jockey ahead of the summer's showpiece meeting. The six-time Irish champion stepped in aboard Field Of Gold when the colt scorched to Irish 2,000 Guineas glory and although it was Queen Anne Stakes hope Lead Artist instead of the his Classic hero that he partnered in Wednesday morning work, Gosden hailed the 30-year-old's class in the saddle. In a morning of Queen Anne contenders, Lead Artist and Colin Keane stride out on the July Course — Adam Morgan (@Adam_Morgs) June 11, 2025 'He's a very talented jockey and horseman and an extremely nice fellow,' explained Gosden. 'The travelling will be demanding, but I'm sure he will fit in well once he gets to know all the horses. I think if you travel regularly on Ryanair you might be seeing him. He'll be over plenty riding work as well as at the races and he's come over today especially. 'He's a classy jockey and you're not six-time Irish champion without being at the top of your game as racing over there is tough and no one gives a quarter to anyone. So to that extent he is very talented and it's an exciting opportunity for him.' As well as Ruling Court, Appleby has Guineas third Shadow Of Light and Opera Ballo in contention, while Juddmonte can also call on the Andrew Balding-trained pair of Jonquil and Windlord. O'Brien also has a total of three contenders, with First Wave and Officer still in the mix alongside Henri Matisse, as Rashabar (Brian Meehan) and Scorthy Champ (Joseph O'Brien) complete the 11-strong list.
