An eighteen-year-old jockey – Kishawn Perreira lost his life on Sunday evening after falling from his horse during a race in the annual Guyana Cup at the Rising Sun Turf Club.
Kishawn, who has been described as a talented young rider, was riding in the 10th race when the horse stumbled, resulting in him falling to the ground.
Immediately after the fall, paramedics responded and rushed him to the hospital but did not survive.
In a statement following the unfortunate incident, the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committing under which the race was organised said they were saddened by his demise.
According to the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committing they prided themselves on running safe and incident-free events, which makes the incident difficult to accept.
The organisers said they 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.
In May of this year, the Horse Racing Authority Act came into being which speaks to the establishing of a Guyana Horse Racing Authority to be administered by a Governing board. None of those are in existence.