Racehorse trainer Harriet Bethell is in intensive care following a fall on the gallops at home.
Harriet, 33, a dual purpose trainer, fell from a horse she was exercising a week ago and is in an induced coma in Hull hospital.
Her father, William, has temporarily taken over her licence and spoke to Matt Chapman after Steel Helmet’s win at Lingfield yesterday under jockey Josephine Gordon (13 August).
“[Harriet] has done all the work. We only have three running and they are winning, we’ve had three winners in the past month. We just thought we had better keep them running for the next month or so while they are running in her form from the way she trained them,” he said.
Mr Bethell added his daughter is in a “life-threatening situation” and has sustained bleeds on the brain.
“They have to let her sleep and then they will wake her up in a few days time,” he added.
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“It is really tough and they only reason we are here is that they are running for her. We have to keep busy and that’s why we are here. You’ve got to keep going, but it is very difficult being positive as the words out of the hospital are not great.”
A former amateur jockey, Harriet took out her trainers’ licence in 2014 and is based in east Yorkshire.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
