ON Monday the racing fraternity was in shock with news that popular jockey Dean Holland had lost his life in a race fall at the north-western Victorian track of Donald.

Aboard Headingley and tracking the leader into the home straight, Holland’s horse appeared to veer left, clip heels and crash through the running rail.

Attended to by on-course paramedics with an air ambulance on its way, the 34-year-old father of four children under five could not be saved.

The remainder of the meeting was abandoned with the following day’s ANZAC Day race meetings at Flemington and Moe called off out of respect to Dean and the Holland family.

A very popular member of the jockey ranks, Holland, a natural lightweight, with over 1,000 wins, won his second Group 1 race just seven weeks ago guiding In Secret to a Newmarket Handicap win at Flemington for James Cummings.

Holland picked up the ride when Jamie Kah couldn’t fulfill her commitment after she suffered a serious fall earlier on the card.

A Go Fund Me page was established for his wife Lucy and their four children and had raised more than A$1.06 million from more than 3,600 individual donations by Wednesday.

Overwhelming

“Grief is completely overwhelming us after losing our beloved Dean yesterday at Donald races,” said a joint statement from Holland’s partner Lucy Clampin, and Dean’s parents Belinda and Darren.

“We are aware of thousands who are sharing our pain as we come to the reality we have lost a once-in-a-lifetime person, a much loved partner, an amazing father of four beautiful young children in Harley, Luca, Frankie and Lily, as well as a special brother and a wonderful son.

“The outpouring of love for Dean and the care and support for us is helping us deal with our loss.”

Tributes for Holland have continued to flow for days after. “We are utterly devastated and have been forever changed by the death of Dean Holland,” said Tony and Calvin McEvoy whose horse Headingley, Holland was riding.

“Such was Dean’s talent in the saddle and his dedication to his craft that he was our go-to jockey in Victoria during the last two-and-a-half seasons. There will never be another like Dean Holland and we are grateful that we got to share the time we did with him.

“Dean was a Group 1 jockey but also a Group 1 human and more than his success on the racetrack, we will miss the remarkable man that he was away from raceday.”

James Cummings retires Anamoe

MISSING from Royal Ascot will be the nine-time Group 1 Anamoe who has been retired to stud following his third to Dubai Honour in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on April 8th.

Bred by Godolphin and trained by James Cummings, Anamoe closes out his racing career with earnings over A$12.1 million and a record of 14 wins from 25 starts, having won Group 1s at two, three and four years-of-age.

“Anamoe had nothing to prove,” said Godolphin’s Australian Manager Vin Cox. “Royal Ascot was always a maybe, it was never a given. We would have liked to have taken him to England but ultimately he is a nine-time Group 1 winner already and there is not a lot more he can do on the racetrack.

“Although we think he would have been very competitive going over to Royal Ascot, we just decided he had nothing to prove to us or his loyal supporters so off to the breeding barn he goes.”

By Street Cry out of the Group 1-winning Redoute’s Choice mare Anamato, Anamoe who had a peak Timeform rating of 126 will stand his first season at stud for a fee of $121,000.

Third King’s Stand contender

WITH Coolangatta already confirmed as a King’s Stand Stakes aspirant, it emerged this week that the Capitalist colt Cannonball will also join the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained filly at the barriers for the five-furlong Royal Ascot Group 1.

“With proven straight-track form, a love of fast summer ground and rapidly improving form, he will be making his presence felt in this historic sprint,” said James Harron, managing part-owner of the colt.

Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, Cannonball, not to be confused with Wesley Ward’s horse of the same name who ran sixth in the 2009 edition, has won three from nine, most recently placing third in the Group 1 Galaxy at Randwick over 1,100 metres.

Taking the ride will be Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Brett Prebble, who has won two stakes races aboard the colt.

Three Aussies

Two other Australian horses will be at Royal Ascot, Artorius and The Astrologist, both of whom are targeting the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Artorius finished third in the race last year for co-trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, while The Astrologist, second in the Al Quoz Sprint at March 25th, in what was his last start for co-trainers Leon and Troy Corstens, switches to the Marco Bottti yard for the Royal Ascot six furlong Group 1.