'Our hearts are broken in the amateur ranks' - colleagues remember Lorna Brooke

Lorna Brooke’s weighing room colleagues have paid tribute to the "absolutely lovely" and "fiercely competitive" amateur jockey after her tragic death aged 37 on Sunday.

Brooke passed away after suffering a heavy fall when riding at Taunton earlier in the month, prompting an outpouring of emotion from the racing community echoed by those who shared the racecourse and weighing room with her.

Jockey Lucy Gardner had ridden alongside Brooke for years, first as an amateur herself, and she spoke glowingly as she remembered her friend.

“She was always happy,” Gardner said. “She just loved her horses and loved racing. Lorna and her mum were a team together similar to myself and my mum [Sue Gardner]. They did everything for the love of the sport and of each other.

Remember her joy but be reminded of the dangers as we mourn Lorna Brooke

“She really was absolutely lovely and I’m not just saying that, because I can’t think of any time when anyone could have had a bad word to say about her.

"She always rode well and she never caused any problems. She used to go by herself to the races and loads of us would help her out even though she would always say she’d be grand."

'I can’t think of any time where anyone could have had a bad word to say about her'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Recalling Brooke as a competitor, Gardner added: “One thing I’ll always remember is her riding a horse called Spock, because I had another horse I rode at the time called Bredon Hill Lad and we would always race against each other. Spock will always stick out to me because she loved that horse so much.

“She loved winning and she would have such joy in her face when she rode a winner. You would honestly never have seen anyone so happy because it meant so much to her.

“This will affect everyone. It’s something nobody is going to forget for a long time and nobody is going to forget her. She was just so sound and lovely.”

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Fellow jockey Bridget Andrews said: "I didn’t know her particularly well outside of racing but I raced alongside her a fair few times and she was just the loveliest person.

"I honestly couldn’t think of any bad words I could say against her and I doubt you’d find anyone who would. I could sit and talk to her in the locker room about horses or whatever and she would always be so nice, as well as fiercely competitive.

"It will deeply affect the locker room and it really brings home the dangers of the sport and how we can’t take anything for granted."

Lorna Brooke: a talented amateur who travelled far and wide pursuing her passion

Amateur jockey David Maxwell said: “Our hearts are broken in the amateur ranks. Lorna and her mother were something of what the sport is all about. They trained together and you’d see them on the course together.

"They embodied the family spirit of racing and a bit of our hearts are missing now. At times like this you get a real sense of how tight-knit the racing community, but especially National Hunt, really is.”