Darwin Cup prizemoney donated to jockey's family

Prizemoney from yesterday’s Darwin Cup has been donated to the mourning family of fallen jockey Simone Montgomerie.

Ms Montogmerie died when her mount Riahgrand, which was leading the event, shied and threw her to the track about 100 metres from the finish.

A horse owned by her mother went on to win the race.

The 26-year-old was treated on the track before being rushed to hospital, but died soon after.

“As far as the Darwin Turf Club was concerned, she was our family and we are all devastated,” Brett Dixon from the Darwin Turf Club said.

Just last week Ms Montgomerie was celebrating after winning the Darwin jockey’s premiership.

Her father Peter trained the 2005 Melbourne Cup runner-up On A Jeune.

The Darwin Cup’s feature race was cancelled, and the $200,000 prizemoney has been donated to a fund for Ms Montgomerie’s five-year-old daughter Kodah.

A steward’s investigation has been launched amid speculation the horse was spooked by track crossing for spectators.

“If I thought there was an issue of the track was unsafe, I can guarantee you we would not be racing,” Mr Dixon said.

Tributes continue to pour in online and at the apprentice’s academy where Mr Montgomerie trained as a youngster.

“It ripples through the industry, it will go from west to east and north to south,” Thoroughbred Racing South Australia (TRSA) chief of stewards Johan Petzer said.

The apprentice school at Morphettville was cancelled today as students came to terms with the loss of one of their own.

“We will work with them and with the family to make sure she’s remembered and recognised for her achievements in a timely manner,” SA Jockey Club CEO Brenton Wilkinson said.

Jockeys will wear black armbands at Balaklava tomorrow as a mark of respect.