Toomey returns to show he is back in business

Two years ago, the North Yorkshire rider was in a coma after a horrendous fall at Perth. His heart had already stopped beating for six seconds and his chance of survival was just three per cent.

Yet, while the 26-year-old was visibly distressed after pulling up his mount Kings Grey, the spontaneous reaction of the horse’s owner Brian Dunn in the unsaddling enclosure illustrated the true meaning of this comeback.

Dunn, who drove from Manchester to Dundee on the night of the fall because he knew Toomey’s family could not get a flight from Ireland for 24 hours, patted the rider on the back before embracing the jockey.

It was an emotional moment – the owner never stopped believing in Toomey and knows, more than most, that the rider will need much support in the coming days, weeks, months and, hopefully, years if he is to compete against the best on a regular basis.

“There was no fairytale ending but for me to come back on a horse is a fairytale ending,” said a philosophical Toomey. “He just didn’t feel right and I couldn’t ask him to carry on. I’ve been through hardship and know how it feels. I didn’t want to put the horse through any hardship.

“I wanted to get today out of the way and get my career back on track. I have a point to prove now, I’ve worked very hard to get here and I wouldn’t have got back if it didn’t mean the world to me.”

Though Toomey was bitterly disappointed after going into the race with such high expectations, Kings Grey’s trainer Phil Kirby, based in Middleham, has said the jockey is likely to have a ride at Uttoxeter on Wednesday when the pressure is likely to be a less intense.

For a jockey who had ridden just 49 career winners before tragedy struck – part of his skull was cut away and replaced with a titanium plate – he appeared slightly bewildered when given racing’s rock star treatment.

He was photographed weighing out in the paddock before his race and was besieged by cameraman as he walked to the paddock, their presence signalling to an appreciative 5,000 crowd to break out in polite applause and it was only natural for Toomey to have been overwhelmed by this greeting.

The entourage in the paddock also included the jockey’s parents Johnny and Marian, and siblings Aine and Sean. The strain was etched across their faces – Toomey’s mother and sister both called out his name as he mounted Kings Grey and left the saddling area to even more cheers from knowledgeable spectators over-awed in their admiration for the rider who has come back from the brink.

“We are petrified, but there is no way we could convince him not to ride,” said Mrs Toomey. “We have to be behind him – it’s what he said he wanted to do from the moment he started talking again. Getting the leg up on this horse was, for us, the fairytale.”

And the first half of the race did go to plan – Kings Grey recovering from a slightly errant leap at the first to build a commanding lead, and heading the field past the winning post on the first circuit, before Toomey sensed that the 11-year-old was not travelling with his normal fluency.

At the end of the back straight, the odds-on favourite was passed by both Oneofapear and the outsider Daizy, the subsequent winner, and Toomey eased Kings Grey down to the disappointment of all.

“I thought he took a lame step on the way back in, but he’s trotted up sound in the yard. I don’t know what’s happened, but they are both all right which is the main thing,” said Kirby.

Toomey also has the support of top jockey Tom Scudamore who said the whole of racing has been inspired by the comeback. “Getting back riding on a day like this is the least of everything he has done,” he said. “When you are in hospital for a third of a year, just getting out is pretty spectacular.”

And the jockey’s determination shone through in his post-race inquisition. Slightly critical of himself for allowing his mount to be too enthusiastic early on, his priority now is forging sufficient contacts because of his horsemanship, rather than sympathy, so his career can flourish again.

It will not be easy – but the ride on Kings Grey did prove to the world that Brian Toomey is back in business and available for rides – a point that he made with cheery good humour. “It’s brilliant to be back, but I am glad today is over. I am available now to whoever wants me,” he added.