Jack de Bromhead, teenage son of leading trainer Henry, dies in 'freak' pony accident

The teenage jockey killed in a pony racing fall in Kerry on Saturday has been named as Jack de Bromhead, the 13-year-old son of Waterford-based Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Henry de Bromhead and his wife Heather.

In what has been described as a ‘freak accident’ during a race, part of a two-day meeting, on Rossbeigh beach in Kerry, De Bromhead was attended by medics but they were unable to save him.

Jack, who was passionate about racing, was just beginning to get going in the sport which is open to under 16s and, having ridden five winners this season including one at the recent Dingle Derby meeting, was prominent in the championship and picking up outside rides, the hallmark of a good jockey.

Jack de Bromhead, who had a twin sister Mia and a younger sister Georgia, was born into the sport. His grandfather Harry rode as an amateur and sent out a Cheltenham Festival winner, Fissure Seal, from the family home at Knockeen near Waterford handing over to Henry in 2000.

It is now one of the foremost yards in Ireland with de Bromhead becoming the first person to win Cheltenham’s holy trinity of Champion Hurdle (Honeysuckle), Champion Chase (Put The Kettle On ) and Gold Cup (Minella Indo) in the same season before winning the Grand National three weeks later with Minella Times with stable jockey Rachael Blackmore on board.

Last season he won the Champion Hurdle for a second time with Honeysuckle, who remains unbeaten in 16 starts, and the Gold Cup again, this time with A Plus Tard.

Having been brought up eventing and showjumping ponies to a high level, last year Jack switched to pony racing. “I remember Henry telling me he’d sit on the arm of a sofa practising riding his finish and all he’d hear from the next door room was whack, whack, whack,” recalled family friend and bloodstock agent Peter Molony.

“So they got him an equicizer for Christmas and Rachael Blackmore would give him lessons. He was mad keen on his racing. He was just getting going and he never stopped smiling.”  

Pony racing is a very popular sport in Ireland with whole fixtures devoted to it most weekends. Nearly all the top Irish jockeys, Flat and jump, have graduated through its ranks. At any one meeting there will usually be races for ponies, often small thoroughbreds, of different heights and over different distances. In Ireland they also race for prize-money.  

Indeed so successful is it as a nursery for the star jockeys of the future, the sport was started up in Britain in 2007 under the auspices of the Pony Racing Authority to give British jockeys an equal chance. In that respect it has been very successful. Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle were among the first jockeys to benefit from it.

Today’s Pony Club raceday at Wolverhampton and two races of the racecourse series at York both went ahead. The PRA issued a statement saying: “Following the news of the tragic and freak accident at the Glenbeigh Racing festival yesterday we are sending all our thoughts and prayers to the de Bromhead family and to all those in the Irish pony racing community.”

A garda spokesperson said: "Gardai and emergency services responded to reports of an incident at Rossbeigh Beach in Co.Kerry earlier this evening at approximately 5.20pm.

"A male in his teens received treatment at the scene following the incident but was later pronounced deceased.

"His body has since been removed to the Morgue at Kerry University Hospital."