Trainer devastated by tragic loss of Izzy Neale

Izzy Neale has tragically passed away following a shocking fall at Warren race track on Sunday.

The apprentice jockey lost her life at the age of 22.

Trainer Scott Singleton, who Izzy rode for regularly, is devastated by the loss.

“I know after people have passed, everyone comes out and says they were the best person, but she truly was just the sweetest kid,” Singleton said on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.

“I said to her quite a few times, when she'd do something sweet or just go out of her way to try and help somebody that, ‘Geez, I hope one day my daughter grows up to be just like you’.

“She was just that nice. It's just tragic.

“We feel like we've lost a daughter. She always had a smile on her face.

“She was just a great kid and it’s just devastating.”

Troy Corstens, President of the Australian Trainers' Association, paid tribute to Izzy with a statement on Wednesday morning.

“There is a place for words in racing. Today, finding them is terribly hard,” said Corstens on behalf of the Australian Trainers' Association.

“Across the Australian Trainers' Association, we are grieving the loss of Izzy Neale. Some of us knew her. Others never had that privilege. But her family's words about a girl who rode before she could walk will feel deeply familiar in stables across this country. That love of horses is how so many of our own stories began. It hurts beyond words that Izzy will not have the years ahead to keep living hers.

“As trainers, we share our working lives with young people who bring that love through the gates each morning. We see their determination, watch their confidence grow and become invested in their futures. They become part of our lives, and we want so much for them.

“To Izzy's family, we know there is nothing we can write that comes close to what you have lost. You knew her long before racing did. Before the silks and the race rides, she was your Izzy. As our industry mourns, we hold that closest of all.

“Your decision to share her gift of organ donation has touched us deeply. Somewhere, another family will have more time together because of Izzy. We wish, with all our hearts, that you could have more time with her too.

“In the days ahead, racing will return to its familiar rhythms. For those who loved Izzy, everything will be different. Our responsibility to care for them must continue long after the tributes have quietened.

“On behalf of our members across Australia, we will remember Izzy, the life she was building and the people who will always be missing her.”

Image: Getty Images