Defeating all the odds: Brian Toomey sets his sight on training
Brian Toomey
Just a few days shy of his 30th birthday, Lambourn-based former jockey Brian Toomey has already experienced more career highs and lows than most. From an aspiring rider with a bright future ahead of him to a crashing fall which almost cost his life, Toomey could be forgiven for feeling hard done by that his career had been prematurely taken from him. But it’s the grit and determination which helped him pull through and make a comeback which now drives him towards achieving a new goal – training racehorses for the track.
“It won’t be easy, but nothing in life worth having is and I’ve always been prepared to work hard. The biggest hurdle for me at the moment is raising the start-up capital needed to secure a yard, so I’m really keen to find someone who’d like the opportunity to become involved with the business; everything else I have in spades. I’ve proved that nothing is impossible, and the odds are there to be beaten,” said Toomey.
Aged just 23, his career was brought to an abrupt halt in 2013 when his mount Solway Dandy made a mistake three from home, firing Toomey into the ground with such force that he was left clinically dead for six seconds before being resuscitated by medics on course.
Despite being given a mere 3% chance of survival and his family preparing for the worst, he beat the odds to overcome his injuries thanks to a metal plate in his skull, a 157-day hospital stay and rehabilitation support from Lambourn’s Oaksey House, courtesy of the Injured Jockeys Fund.
Toomey achieved the impossible when he regained his jockey licence in 2015 and made an unlikely return to race riding – a feat which earned him the title ‘miracle man’. But the comeback was short lived, with trainers understandably reluctant to give him rides over concerns for his welfare in the event of another fall. His 800th ride would be his last as a professional jockey – though he still remains steeped in the only industry he knows and loves, riding out for Clive Cox and residing in the valley of the racehorse.
Never one to give up on his dreams, in typically resolute fashion Toomey has already completed the training modules required for a licence and gained experience as an assistant trainer to pave the way ready for the next chapter.
Said Toomey; “I feel like I have a really thorough understanding of how to prepare a horse for a race and get the best from each individual, and I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some of the best in the business along the way which I’m really grateful for. Now I’m ready to put all that into play, go out there and train some winners. I know the buzz of riding a winner, and I can only imagine how it would feel to train one for your owners; hopefully that’s something I’ll be able to experience in the not too distant future.”
Seven-time champion National Hunt jockey, trainer and television personality John Francome MBE owns the yard at which Toomey rides out, and is a Vice Patron of the Injured Jockeys Fund. Francome said; “Nobody has had a head injury as bad as his before. The fact that he’s walking around is a miracle in itself. An inspiration for anybody – no matter how bad your injuries. He will be there and people will say in the future – this is what Brian Toomey did.”
Toomey appears to have all the attributes to prosper as a trainer and replicate the successes he achieved in the saddle – and certainly doesn’t lack ambition or drive.
He is currently seeking to establish a base locally, and is keen to speak to anyone who might be interested in joining the journey either as a business partner or owner. For further information please contact 07393 569019 or email toomey_b@yahoo.com.
