61-Year-Old Jockey, Thrown Over Horse’s Head in Terrifying Accident, Gets New Lease of Life After Being in Induced Coma

David Tootell, a senior equestrian, is no stranger to the world of horse racing. The 61-year-old veteran still races horses despite having won more than 800 races in his career. The equestrian veteran, however, was thrown off his horse in Port Augusta on Sunday, severely injuring himself and putting him into a coma.

According to Racing.com, the experienced rider awoke from the induced coma on Monday and is yet to go through several medical procedures.

A horrifying equestrian experience

David Tootell is a well-known personality. For the veteran equestrian, May 7, 2023, was just another day at the job, despite his extensive history of equestrian competition. It was decided that Tootell would ride Hardashian, the horse he had last raced on April 16, 2023. However, things got dicey in the opening 100 meters of the third race when Tootell was flung off his horse, Hardashian. Tootell, aged 61 years old, was hurled over the horse’s head as the animal knuckled over. According to Racing.com, this resulted in the veteran being put into an induced coma, from which he emerged on Monday morning.

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Shayne Cahill, Tootell’s trainer, and close friend, reported on his progress. Since the jockey did go into a coma due to two minor brain bleeds, he is now being treated in the Port Augusta hospital, where he will undergo more scans. At some point, he will be sent to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, but he won’t be awakened until he arrives at the facility. Caitlin Tootell, an apprentice rider, was also present during the race but was pulled from the rest of her mounts after the incident. The 26-year-old and her father both rode in the first race of the day, with the former placing second on Keep Swinging and her father placing fourth on Club Raider.

The Australian jockey’s stellar career

The seasoned jockey from Australia has had a successful career. He has started in a whopping 8463 races during his career, with a win percentage of 9.0 percent and a total purse haul of $9,178,065.

David Tootell has competed in races all around Australia, at venues as diverse as South Australia’s country and metro circuits, Victoria’s and New South Wales’ circuits, and many more. However, SA-Country and SA-Metro accounted for most of his income. His record in SA – Country is 4863 starts, 496 victories, and $3,314,065 in prize money. He has 3186 career starts, 278 career victories, and $5,384,855 in SA – Metro prize money. The seasoned jockey is unbeatable on South Australian courses since that’s where he was born.

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We hope the seasoned rider recovers quickly from his injuries after the unfortunate and unexpected occurrence during the race.