The horse racing community in Guyana is in mourning after the tragic death of 18-year-old jockey Kishawn Pereira.
His passing resulted from a fatal fall in the penultimate race at the 17th Guyana Cup held at the Rising Sun Turf Club on Sunday.
In a statement, the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee confirmed the tragedy and extended its deepest condolences to Perreira’s family.
The committee acknowledged this was the first fatal incident in 17 years of promoting the Guyana Cup.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE JUMBO JET THOROUGHBRED RACING COMMITTEE:
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the tragic passing of 18-year-old jockey, Kishawn Pereira, following an accident in Race 10, just before the feature event at today’s race meet.
Immediately after the fall, our on-site paramedics and ambulance team responded and rushed him to the hospital. Despite their best efforts, he unfortunately did not survive.
For the past 17 years of hosting the Guyana Cup, we have prided ourselves on running safe and incident-free events. This makes today’s tragedy even more difficult for all of us to accept.
Earlier in the day, we experienced light showers that may have left soft spots on the track, conditions that cannot always be predicted or easily seen.
While the circumstances remain under review, we want to assure everyone that safety is and will always remain our top priority.
Kishawn was a talented young rider with a bright future ahead of him, and his loss is a tremendous blow to the entire horse racing family.
We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and ask that the public and media respect their privacy at this time.
We remain committed to working with horsemen, officials, and safety experts to ensure that Guyana’s sport of kings continues to grow while safeguarding the lives of all those who make it possible.”
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