I've never understood the reasoning behind marking or celebrating the day of a person's death.

Yes, we should acknowledge time being called but, regardless of the days, weeks, months or years on earth, surely the total sum of a life's work is greater than the day of passing?

Permit me to share two stories, one that is family orientated and the second involving Dean Holland and his Newmarket triumph in 2023.

During February, I received an innocent but jarring text from one of my brothers. The message was an invitation to mark the fifth anniversary of our father's passing. Sent with good intentions, what it did was make me recall the timeline of the worst weeks of my life.

I'd rung my parents on New Year's Day 2019 to wish them the best and to share that later that day I was going to Hanging Rock races, the first venue I could recall seeing thoroughbreds.

Trips to Hanging Rock were mandatory family gatherings bringing together an extended group and, although now shaded through distance and a shaky memory, my love of horses is directly linked to these days.

During this call, 'Slim' (Dad's ironic nickname) revealed his cancer diagnosis. He was optimistic, finishing off with 'We'll be right'.

The cancer took six weeks, wreaking havoc like a summer wildfire, a melanoma on his arm spreading to internal organs and his brain. A surgeon summoned us into the small room to deliver the news that no treatment options were available.

Three days later I was scheduled to leave for Europe.

The day of departure was spent with Slim, whose condition had already deteriorated, as wisecracks and banter were replaced by slumber and pain relief.

We shared hospital food lunch and my penultimate task was to give him a razor shave. As I lathered his face, he chided me, 'Be careful Lightning', a childhood reference to when I'd accompany him to work and he'd ask me to bang nails into timber for house frames 'Lightning' because 'I couldn't hit the same place twice'.

Among tears, my final words were: "You've been a great Dad and I love you."
We kissed and I left.

A few weeks later, while travelling on a train in Norway, I knew Slim had passed before the call arrived. Clutching the talisman I keep close, a Buddhist monk swathed in distinct robes entered the cabin and sat opposite. Moments later the phone stirred.

There is no world in which I want to relive that day.

Dean Holland's tragic death occurred on April 24, just weeks after his most significant racetrack performance when he won the Group 1 Newmarket.

Meetings at Donald on a Monday are lowkey affairs and as broadcasters we don't expect world beaters to appear. Perhaps a trainer, jockey or tipster will have a day out before the caravan moves on.

In Race 1 at Donald, 280km northwest of Melbourne, Holland was lost in a hasty whirl of colour.

The seriousness of the situation was immediate as the reactions from jockeys and those on course, through what they didn't say, underlined the emergency.

Hosting from the Racing.com studio was the hardest day of my professional life.

During midafternoon, after we'd stopped broadcasting, news filtered through confirming what we'd dreaded. I'm thankful for having Warren Huntly and Gaby Doxy on set and to all the behindthescenes folks who bring a broadcast together. There was a shared unity among us all.

The walk to the car was slow, I found a quiet place and watched a handful of tears hit the grey concrete below. Somehow, I made it home and did something I never do, turned off my phone.

There is no world in which I want to relive that day.

According to the Nationals Jockeys' Trust, more than 800 jockeys have lost their lives since racing began in Australia, additionally 200 riders suffer injuries annually on our racetracks, with a staggering 89% of jockeys who fall requiring medical attention.

A spate of incidents cast a long shadow across racing in autumn 2023, with three in successive weeks at metropolitan meetings involving Ethan Brown, Mark Zahra, Teo Nugent, Craig Williams and Jamie Kah.

Kah was scheduled to ride In Secret for James Cummings in the 150th running of the Newmarket, one of the highestprofile handicap sprint races in the world.

A race harking back to Saturday, March 7, 1874, the second day of the twoday VRC Autumn Carnival. Maid Of Avenel, ridden by Bob Batty and trained by Sam Harding, defeated eight rivals.

A threeyearold filly with 7 stone 8 (48kg), she set a precedent Cummings hoped to emulate in 2023 with In Secret.

Williams and Kah's falls occoured in the VRC Sires' Produce, with the stewards' report clinically reporting:

Flyball Approaching the 1000m when racing keenly appeared to clip the heels of Veight and fell. A post‑race veterinary examination revealed minor abrasions. The gelding will be reassessed by the stable veterinarian tomorrow. Stewards will follow up with the stable.

Read full story https://www.racing.com/news/2024030...