THE British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Point-to-Point Authority (PPA) have pledged to carry out a full review into the tragic death of Keagan Kirkby to gauge whether any lessons can be learned.

A highly-valued member of the Paul Nicholls team in Ditcheat, Kirkby, 25, was riding at a meeting at Charing in Kent on Sunday when his horse ran through the wing of a fence in the final race of the day.

Members from the BHA visited the site this week to begin their review into the incident. A joint statement with the PPA read: “The necessary steps in response to this tragic incident commenced immediately after the race on Sunday and have continued today (Monday).

“The BHA are visiting the site and will work with the PPA, the racecourse and attending medical teams to ensure that the incident is fully reviewed. All of the relevant bodies will also assist the police and/or Environmental Health Officer with any enquiries they wish to make.

“The medical facilities and teams at Charing racecourse on Sunday were fully compliant with the required standards and included two racecourse doctors and three fully equipped ambulances with paramedic crews.

“The medical team attended Mr Kirkby within 30 seconds of his fall. Further support was provided by 999 road and air ambulances. Despite the immediate medical attention, the injuries were of such an extent that it was not possible to save Mr Kirkby’s life.

“It is important that, with any incident such as this, we do all that we can to understand what caused it, and whether there is anything we can learn from it. There is a risk attached to racing which can never be entirely removed, but we are committed to ensure that we assess every incident and use any findings to help continually improve our safety record.

“Our thoughts remain with Keagan Kirkby’s family and his many friends and colleagues from within the racing industry and beyond.

“The Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) are coordinating support for the Kirkby family, his places of work and any staff member or participant at the event.”

Tributes paid

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington and Sir Anthony McCoy led the tributes for Kirkby this week. On Tuesday at Taunton, Fire Flyer, ridden by Harry Cobden, was a very poignant winner for the Paul Nicholls yard.

After the race, Cobden told Racing TV: “I’d just like to say a special word for Keagan Kirkby because he rode that horse every day, so that was for him.”

Kirkby, 25, joined Ditcheat in 2019 and was said to be an integral part of the Nicholls team. He had been shortlisted for Thoroughbred Employee Industry Awards this year.

Writing in his Betfair column yesterday, Nicholls said: “It’s been a dreadful week, poor old Keegan Kirby was such a big part of our team and when we lost him in that tragic fall on Sunday the group has been devastated since and that’s an understatement.

“We’ve all pulled together, everyone has had all the help they’ve needed so the staff are okay. I spoke to Keegan’s grandad, he’s okay, his mum is okay, but it’s obviously an incredibly tough time.

“We’re all mortified, we’re all pulling together. Team Ditcheat is a team and that’s how we are all taking it. Between us all it is very, very tough times.”