Named “the most beautiful young woman in the race,” the jockey is in a coma due to a horrifying fall, requiring brain surgery and then fighting for life in the hospital.
24-year-old Leah Kilner was a down-under revelation that captivated fans with her top ride and popular personality.
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Sun Racing showed off her rapid rise beyond the ranks, seeing her already collecting millions of prizes.
But after she suffered a catastrophic injury while riding the Grafton Racecourse on Sunday, the entire racing world is hoping for good news.
Kirner was on Stella’s turn when she saw her fall off her horse in an incident during the race.
The rest of the meeting was canceled and Kirner was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
She was reported to be in and out of consciousness at the time, but trainer boss Rob Heathcourt subsequently updated her followers on her progress.
He said: “It was a very bad day.
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“Lear had a terrible fall when her two-year-old child fell. She hit the ground hard with her head.
“She was immediately accompanied by a medical team and airlifted to a specialized brain trauma unit in the hospital.
She is a very sick young girl who has been in a coma since autumn.
“She is currently undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on her brain at 6 pm (Australian time) on Sunday.
Very popular personality
“It’s a very serious situation and we should all hope she gets over it.
“Lear is the most beautiful young woman I have ever met in a race, so I need to pray for her recovery.
“I love her as much as we do, so I wanted everyone to know what was going on.”
Michael Beatty, Chief Executive Officer of the Clarence River Jockey Club, said:
“But until she sees us, we don’t know what kind of injury she suffered in the fall.
“There was a wave of great concern from other jockeys to her, as there was a long delay of over an hour before Leah was airlifted from the course.
“It was clear that they had the idea of not riding, so I talked to Steward and felt that it was in everyone’s best interests to postpone the rest of the meeting.”
Kilner has won 204 winners throughout his career and has earned over £ 3m on rides.
Regarding her desire to be a jockey, Kirner previously stated:
Winner with her dad
“But when I was 18, I remember walking to my dad.’I think you need to go to me, or I’ll go somewhere.'”
“So he probably had no choice!”
And Rob, now her boss, was a huge success, starting with her father, Greg, who was in Grafton when she fell.
The father and daughter duo have won consecutive victories in female glorious rubies with over £ 120,000 in their pockets over the course of two weeks.
Regarding the bond with the horse, Leah said: “She is one of my favorites and it’s hard to overtake her.
“She has a very special place in my mind. I rode a Group 1 horse on trackwork in Sydney and won something like an emerald kingdom.
“It’s great just to sit on those horses, but she has a very special place.
“She was my first Saturday winner, she won me a £ 66,000 race … she helped me buy a new Mercedes Benz!”
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