Morel's mother has called for a public inquest to determine whether more could have been done to prevent the fatal accident, raising questions about the horse's fitness to race and the trainer's practices.
Marina Morel fell and was trampled underneath her horse at the Gulgong racecourse, approximately 300 kilometres northwest of Sydney. It shattered her left leg bone and temporarily lost any semblance of consciousness. With no vet or paramedics in attendance, trainer Thompson and one of his sons worked frantically to drag the horse off Morel and resuscitate her. She was flown to Sydney's Westmead Hospital and pronounced dead four days later, after her distraught mother arrived from France to be at her 30-year-old daughter's side.
The inquest will focus on the thoroughbred's medical history. A post-mortem report of Lina's Choice by the School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, raised doubts whether the horse had returned to the field before healing from the previous injury. This suggests the animal may have been racing before fully recovering from an earlier problem that would normally require months of rehabilitation.
Between September to December 2021, racing NSW chief veterinary officer Dr. Toby Koenig raised concerns regarding the integrity of staff and the quality of stewardship in Thompson's stables. The timing of these concerns, which occurred just before Morel's death, raises questions about whether the horse was being managed with appropriate care and veterinary oversight.
The broader issue of horses returning to competition too soon is well recognised in racing medicine. Research into racehorse injuries has identified pre-existing conditions as a significant risk factor. A seminal finding is that pre-existing injuries predispose to catastrophic bone fractures; therefore, injuries are preventable.
Morel's mother said, "We want to know the truth. This won't bring back our daughter and won't change our grief, but if there really was negligence or fault, and it's possible to prevent another tragic accident from occurring … and if not, we will know that nothing could have foreseen or prevented it".
The inquest represents a rare opportunity to examine the decision-making processes that govern racehorse fitness, trainer accountability, and jockey safety. It also reflects broader systemic questions about whether current regulatory frameworks adequately protect both animals and the people who ride them. The New South Wales coroner is already conducting a preliminary inquiry into the young jockey's death, due to its unprecedented nature. This is because, no jockey had ever died on an NSW racecourse in nearly 5 years.