A fund to raise money for the jockey Freddy Tylicki, who has been left with a T7 paralysis following a four-horse pile-up at Kempton last week, has reached £200,000 after only two days.
The At The Races racing channel presenter Matt Chapman set up the GoFundMe page on Saturday, and the fund has already far surpassed its initial target of £20,000 with donations from more than 3,000 people.
Chapman said: “The response has, of course, been incredible and the money raised is more than I could ever imagine. Having said that, the racing community is a strong and great one. It’s an industry that looks after its own, so maybe I shouldn’t have been quite as overwhelmed as I am. The important thing now is that people don’t think we have enough funds. In this situation there will never be enough.”
Kelsea Little, spokesperson for GoFundMe.com, said: “The response to Freddy’s GoFundMe campaign both in the sporting community and across the UK is incredibly inspiring. The campaign is among some of the most successful in the UK, raising almost £200,000 in just two days. We wish Freddy all the best in his recovery.”
Chapman said Tylicki will need a lot of help and support during his recovery and he hoped he could send the GoFundMe campaign “through the roof”.
He wrote on the campaign page: “We all know the risks jockeys take, and we all know they know the risks. But when one gets badly hurt those of us who love the game, bet on the game, need the game, have the opportunity to come together and say: ‘You know what? We can help this person.’ Freddy Tylicki is going to need loads of help.
“I was at Chantilly when Freddy recently won his second Group One on Speedy Morning. The joy on his face that day was infectious. Let’s do what we can to help ease Freddy’s tough journey ahead.”
GoFundMe has so far helped raise £2.5bn since its launch in 2010. Contributions for the Freddy Tylicki fund can be made via https://www.gofundme.com/freddie-tylicki
