THE shockingly sudden fall that left Ana O’Brien with serious injuries at Killarney on Tuesday night caused the Irish racing world to hold its breath and reminded us once again that in racing, when mounted on a horse travelling at 35 miles an hour, potential disaster is never more than a stride away.

And it matters not if you are champion jockey on a potential classic winner or a raw apprentice on an old handicapper. Even with vast improvements in jockey safety, if you go down, you go down fast and hard. The summer turf shows no respect.