This morning, the Mirror shared news that Lorna Brooke – whom tragically passed away aged just 37 on 19th April after a fall on her mother Lady Susan Brooke’s horse, Orchestrated, at Taunton on 8th April – is to have a race named in her honour at tomorrow’s Hunter Chase meeting at Cheltenham.
Brooke, a rising star amateur jockey, rode 17 winners and took more than 400 rides from February 2002 onwards and celebrated her first victory in April 2007 on her mother’s horse, Super Nomad.
She subsequently secured her biggest victory at Fairyhouse in 2015 at odds of 25/1 on Moonlone Lane for Paul Stafford – even beating rider of 2021 and first woman to win the Grand National Rachael Blackmore – in the process and represented Great Britain in Arabian racing in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Poland that year also.
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Of Brooke, fellow amateur jockey David Maxwell, told the BBC earlier this month:
“Amateurs do it for love – the love of the game and more importantly the love of the horse.”
“There’s such passion in the sport. At the amateur level nobody has to do it. Lorna was at the forefront of the Corinthians.”
Tomorrow, this much -oved lady will be remembered in the 7.45pm at Cheltenham. It has been named the Lorna Brooke Open Hunters’ Chase and separately on the 24th May a celebration of her life will be held at Ludlow Racecourse.
Those wishing to attend, can email the track at [email protected].
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Lorna is going to be forever missed