Irish jockey Aidan Coleman paid an emotional tribute today to his weighing room colleague Lorna Brooke after her tragic death.
Brooke, 37, died in hospital on Sunday following a fall from her mother’s horse at Taunton on April 8.
The jockey's death has devastated the racing community and left Coleman questioning his decision to ride at Market Rasen today.
After steering Ripper Roo to victory in the MansionBet App Maiden Hurdle, Brooke was at the forefront of Coleman's thoughts.
The Corkman told Racing TV: "We've lost one of our own and I'm a little bit disappointed in myself. I thought long and hard today about whether this should be going ahead.
"I don't confess to knowing Lorna very well, but we rode against each for an awful long time.
"She was a lovely person, and I'm not just saying it in light of the events. We were all very fond of her.
"She was very nice. She'd ride her horses, she'd lead them up, she'd drive the box, she'd do everything. She was never in the way and always smiling.
"To say it is terribly sad is a massive understatement."
He added: "Maybe I'm being hypocritical in saying that maybe this meeting shouldn't have gone ahead, because people could just say 'well, don't come'.
"But that horse has just won a horse race and we've lost one of our own colleagues.
"The kind of 'show must go on' attitude doesn't sit easy with me to be honest.
"Not blaming anyone in particular, these things take time to organise. There's a lot of stuff behind the scenes.
"Ultimately, people can have a go at me, the powers that be can have a go at me, but I just don't think we should be here."
