Nicky Henderson’s daughter has condemned ‘online bullies’ for posting abusive comments about top jockey Nico de Boinville who was seriously injured in a fall at Plumpton on Monday.
De Boinville, regular partner of jumping stars Constitution Hill and Jonbon as Henderson’s stable jockey, was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after a nasty fall from 3-1 favourite As The Fella Says at the first flight of a handicap hurdle. He was said to be conscious as he left the track but the incident led many to post their best wishes messages to the jockey.
These included At The Races, the account of Sky Sports Racing, in a post which said, “Sending Nico de Boinville our best wishes after today’s fall at Plumpton.”
However the post drew a stream of negative replies beneath it, such as, ‘I hope he retires now’, ‘Might finally get our wishes and see James Bowen on Jonbon and Constitution Hill’, and ‘I swear he falls off horses more than he actually finishes races’.
The comments prompted Camilla Henderson, Nicky Henderson’s daughter who is a sport performance psychology consultant, to call out the abusers in a series of her own posts.
She has spoken out before in the wake of the suicides of jockeys Michael Byrne, James Banks and Liam Treadwell. She said: “Absolutely shocked reading these sickening tweets, whether you like the guy or not, surely you can restrain your bullying (for one day at least) or even to wish him well when he’s in hospital with some very serious injuries,as is one of his children very sick, LEAVE HIM ALONE.”
She went on: “To the online bullies – why kick someone when they are down, laid horizontal in a neck brace in hospital with severe & potentially life threatening injuries. Whilst his daughter is also very ill. It reflects more on you, this online abuse has to stop, please be sensitive to these jockeys, they are human too.
“They have struggles too, and every part of their job / what they do is scrutinised in public. How many of us have that in our line of work, not many. But when he’s in hospital after a nasty fall leave the guy alone and have some respect
“I genuinely wish more of the racing community would come together & stand up to these bullies/report them. Remember these guys are humans too, they have children & wives who have to read the abuse; please have some respect when they are in hospital & extremely vulnerable.”
Nicky Henderson told the Racing Post on Tuesday, “He was in hospital overnight and he’s having some scans this morning and we’ll know more when we get the results. He had a kick in the back in the fall. He was very perky when I spoke to him last night so hopefully it’s good news with the scans. As The Fella Says is fine.”
De Boinville’s agent Sam Stronge said later: “Nico is fine and he will be on his way home today, hopefully he is all good. He got a nasty fall, but I’ve spoken to him this morning and he’s set to go home today and we’ll know more in the next few days.”
It is still to be determined when De Boinville will return to the saddle in a week where Jonbon is due to run in Sandown’s bet365 Celebration Chase on Saturday.
Stronge added: “I’m not sure what the plan will be and obviously Nico is not riding today, but I think he’s just going to get home, see how he is and go from there.”
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