Tragic Incident At Kempton

An incident occurred in the stable yard at Kempton on Saturday evening that resulted in the death of a stable employee. Ken Dooley, who was believed to be in his fifties and worked for trainer Amanda Perrett was killed in unknown circumstances resulting in the card's final two races being abandoned as the track's medical personnel attended the scene. Perrett confirmed the identity of Dooley in a statement released to The Racing Post on Sunday. “It is with huge sadness that I can confirm we lost our friend and colleague Ken Dooley after an incident in the stable yard at Kempton last night,” Perrett said.

“Ken had been with us for seven years and was a very special member of our family business at Coombelands. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time,” she added.

The BHA also released a statement on Sunday morning from chief executive Nick Rust before Dooley's name had become public knowledge as follows; “I am sure that I speak for everyone at the BHA and everyone in British horseracing this morning when I state that we are truly devastated about the events which unfolded at Kempton Park last night. Our sympathies go to the family, friends and colleagues of the individual who has lost his life, and the entire industry will join in mourning over this tragedy. We owe so much in our sport to the racing grooms who provide such first class care and attention to our horses. The love and attention that they give to their mounts is unconditional and comes with that small but ever-present level of risk that exists when working with large animals. This only serves to make their dedication so much more praiseworthy.”

Rust continued, “The matter now sits with the Surrey police force and as such we are unable to provide further details regarding the individual involved and the exact nature of the incident at this time. My teams were assisting with their investigations last night and will continue to do so today. We ask that everyone shows respect and understanding to this process at present.”