05 December 2007

Young jockey loses his life

Vale Daniel Baker: 1984 - 2007

On behalf of Mr Stephen van Eyk, President of the NSWROA, board members and all members of the NSWROA, we would like to pass on our sincere condolences to Debbie Baker and family on the tragic passing of Daniel Baker.

Daniel will be a huge loss to racing and was such a popular character on and off the track and will be dearly missed by his peers.

Article by Christian Nicolussi
Daily Telegraph
December 05, 2007

HEARTBROKEN jockeys and trainers wept openly last night as they spoke about their good mate Daniel Baker - the young bush jockey who lost his life following a sickening weekend race fall.

Baker, 23, passed away shortly after 3pm yesterday as his exhausted girlfriend Linda, mother Debbie and elder brother Tim Baker sat by his side at Gold Coast Hospital.

The Coffs Harbour trio's bedside vigil proved to no avail: their racing hero never regained consciousness after crashing to the turf at the Grafton races on Sunday.

The tragic death just weeks before Christmas was the latest blow to an industry still reeling from the worst equine flu outbreak in history.

Baker, the boy they knew as Spider, was the second jockey to be killed in a race fall this year. Irish hoop Damien Murphy suffered fatal head injuries at country Wellington in January.
Two of Baker's best mates, jockeys Raymond Spokes and Jasen Watkins, said life would never be the same without Spider.

The jockey who lived and breathed racing. The tall kid who would have looked better suited on a basketball court than on the back of a racehorse. The same jockey who never once complained about having to waste seven days a week.

" If I had to waste as hard as Daniel, I don't think I could have been a jockey. I never once saw him eat a full meal,'' Spokes said.

" We actually have a race day at Coffs Harbour on Friday, and myself, Daniel and Jasen would normally have been up the back of the jockeys' room where all the laughter would come from. There won't be much laughter on Friday.

" I guess it's mine and Jasen's job to now go out and ride as many winners as we can for Daniel. That's what the three of us used to do. We used to drive to all the tracks and try to wave the flag for Coffs Harbour.''

Spokes drove Baker to Grafton on Sunday. He said the youngster, who wanted to be a hoop from the time he first set foot on a racetrack at age eight, was his usual bubbly self.

Watkins revealed he and Spokes had been emotional wrecks since Sunday and cried their hearts out as they returned from the Taree races on Monday night. The only consolation for the pair was the fact Baker died doing what he loved most.

Trainer Gordon Yorke visited the hoop late Monday and said his condition deteriorated quickly. He said Baker was a son "any mother would be proud of'' and set to become a leading player for his stable.

Trainer Brett Bellamy was another severely affected by news of Baker's death and could only get as far as Spokes when it came to phoning people with confirmation of his passing.

Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said counselling would be offered to all jockeys and the family given financial assistance in order to make the ordeal as "stress-free'' as possible.