FINALLY 4 YEARS LATER AN INQUEST

EDITOR’S NOTE:

In 2022, we documented the fatal fall of jockey Marina Morel and the unanswered questions that followed.

FOUR Years later, a coronial inquest (March 16th – 20th, 2026) will now examine those circumstances.

We will share the location when it is announced.

Our original report remains available here.

On 8 February 2022, 30-year-old French apprentice jockey Marina Morel was riding trackwork at Gulgong Racecourse in New South Wales when she suffered a catastrophic fall.

She sustained severe head injuries and was airlifted to hospital, where she never regained consciousness.

Four days later, she died.

The incident occurred during routine morning training — not during a race meeting — and was initially described as a tragic accident.

Racing activities resumed, and public attention faded quickly.

For her family, however, the questions did not.

Fatal workplace incidents in regulated industries are normally investigated in detail.

But detailed answers often arrive slowly — sometimes years later — after technical evidence is collected and expert opinions are obtained.

During that time, the industry continues operating.

The horses continue training.

The races continue running.

Horse and jockey’s continue to die.

Families remain waiting.

Marina Morel’s mother repeatedly sought a formal examination into the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.

Now, that examination is finally coming.

A public coronial inquest in New South Wales will examine the circumstances surrounding Marina Morel’s death.

This is not a criminal trial.

No one is being prosecuted.

Instead, the court will determine:

• how the death occurred

• what factors contributed to it

• whether it was preventable

• whether safety changes should be recommended

In short, the coroner asks the question that lingers after every fatal workplace accident:

Should this have happened at all?

Horse and rider fatalities aren’t rare — they’re expected.

The inquest will ask whether the system failed Marina Morel.

But the harder question belongs to the public:

How many times must the same story occur before participation becomes complicity?

Racing continues because it is socially accepted and financially supported.

Without that support, it stops.

If deaths like this disturb you, the most meaningful action is refusal.

Refuse to bet.

Refuse to attend horse races.

Refuse to watch horse races.

Refuse to promote racing.

And support the work that ensures these incidents are not quietly forgotten.

Donations to Meet Our Horse Meat help support horses from the racing industry who are currently in our care. Horses who were considered ‘wastage’ by the industry – who were spared the barbaric fate of being slaughtered.

If this work matters to you, please consider donating. Behind the scenes, we are caring for 20 rescued horses at one sanctuary alone, every day, while working to prevent more animals from being failed by the same systems.

What do YOU think?

Join the conversation on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/@NoAussieHorseSlaughter