Racing Victoria stewards have cleared all five jockeys involved in the Caulfield Cup fall that brought down Half Yours and claimed the life of Ohope Wins, finding no single rider was to blame.
Stewards closed their inquiry on Tuesday 20 October and confirmed no further action will be taken, 7NEWS reported. They took evidence from Mark Zahra (Half Yours), Jye McNeil (Ohope Wins), Ethan Brown (Zahrann), Rachel King (Green Spaces) and apprentice Jabez Johnstone (Kings Valley), with Victorian Jockeys’ Association chief executive Matthew Hyland assisting.
Half Yours, last year’s Melbourne Cup winner, fell about 300 metres from the finish on Saturday 17 October. Chris Waller’s mare Ohope Wins, who was trailing, was brought down and could not be saved.
What the stewards found
“On the evidence Stewards established that near the 300m, Kings Valley shifted out marginally and Green Spaces shifted in slightly under pressure when tiring resulting in both horses making contact,” Racing Victoria said in a statement.
The stewards said Green Spaces became unbalanced after being brushed on the hindquarters by Kings Valley, which in turn became unbalanced and tightened the running of Half Yours between Kings Valley and Zahrann.
Read more: Half Yours Unlikely for Melbourne Cup After Caulfield Cup Fall
“Following a thorough review of the evidence of the riders along with Hyland, which was inclusive of numerous camera angles, Stewards could not attribute the incident to the careless actions of any one particular rider,” the statement said.
“Stewards found that Rachel King and Jabez Johnstone had both taken the necessary corrective measures to straighten and relieve any pressure caused by their mounts to Half Yours. Furthermore, Ethan Brown rider of Zahrann had not contributed to Half Yours being tightened for room.”
The stewards reported no issue with the Caulfield track surface and have referred the incident to Racing Victoria’s veterinary services department, The Age reported.
Waller speaks on Ohope Wins
Speaking at Flemington on Tuesday morning, Waller said his staff were feeling the loss of the dual Group 1 winner. “They’re pretty resilient, the people that look after these horses, they obviously love them dearly, and they’re pets, just like a cat or dog,” he told The Age. “So, yeah, it’s always tough when there’s a missing [horse] in the stable.”
Jockeys and Half Yours
Zahra and McNeil were both taken to hospital after the fall and treated for minor injuries. McNeil has been cleared to return to race riding on Wednesday, while Zahra was due to see doctors on Tuesday, 7NEWS reported. Zahra has been booked to ride Middle Earth in Saturday’s Cox Plate at Flemington.
Half Yours was treated for lacerations and will be spelled, ruling him out of defending his Melbourne Cup title. Kingswood won the Caulfield Cup for trainer Gavin Bedggood and jockey John Allen.
More News
- Mark Zahra Booked for Cox Plate Days After Caulfield Cup Fall
- Half Yours Unlikely for Melbourne Cup After Caulfield Cup Fall
- Kingswood Wins Caulfield Cup 2026 for Gavin Bedggood and John Allen
- Cox Plate 2026 Likely Field: Ceolwulf Confirmed for Flemington
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