Amateur rider Lorna Brooke dies following Taunton fall

Herefordshire amateur jockey Lorna Brooke has died following a fall at a horse race in Taunton earlier this month.

The rider had been in hospital in Bristol since she fell from Orchestrated, trained by her mother Lady Susan Brooke.

Brooke partnered 17 winners in Britain and Ireland since the 2001/02 season, riding largely for her mother, but also teaming up with Shropshire-based John Groucott on a regular basis.

One of Brooke's victories came aboard the Evan Williams-trained Dashing Doc in a lady amateurs' handicap hurdle at Newton Abbot in 2011 - a race in which Cheltenham Festival and Grand National heroine Blackmore finished third.

Williams said: "The best way I can describe Lorna is an enthusiast. Whether it was a point-to-point in Herefordshire or riding under rules with the girls in the changing room, she was always smiling and always working.

"She was a bubbly personality and typical of so many people involved in the industry - unsung heroes who are part of the weighing room and one of us, if that makes sense. It's what makes racing so very special."

Lorna used to live with her family in Pencombe near Bromyard.