The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Mauritius has announced an investigation into Saturday’s fatal fall of 2020 champion jockey Nooresh Juglall.
The 30-year-old died after a fall at the Champ de Mars course on the opening day of the season which was behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The DPP, Satyajit Boolell, said that it is his duty to launch a judicial inquiry.
“It is important to shed light on the circumstances that led to the death of the rider”, Boolell told the media.
“Was there negligence regarding the track’s condition or was it a pure accident?”
Juglall was trained at the South Africa Jockey Academy where he became the first Mauritian to be crowned champion apprentice as he won the award twice, first in the 2011/12 season and again a year later.
He also had a successful spell in Singapore between 2014 and 2019 before returning home due to family reasons.
The accident happened at the Champ de Mars track with a second horse involved as well that left its jockey Benedict Woodworth with a serious elbow injury.
The accident happened as the runners crossed over a road that bisects the track just before the final straight.
Woodworth’s mount Golden Tractor fell and Juglall and his horse Rule the Night, who were immediately behind, were unable to avoid the stricken pair and as a result Juglall was thrown from his horse.
The accident left Juglall unconscious and bleeding profusely as he was rushed to a private clinic in Port Louis but passed away later on Saturday night.
The Champ de Mars is the oldest horse racing track in the southern hemisphere and one of the oldest in the world having been founded in 1812.
