Jockey Laura Lafferty wakes from induced coma after “horrific” fall in Ballarat

Beloved Victorian jockey Laura Lafferty woke up from her induced coma after a serious fall in Ballarat on Thursday (yesterday).

Lafferty was riding the $201 underdog The Praised One and was leading the race when she crashed at the 800m mark of the 1400m maiden race.

She was conscious after the fall and was flown to a Melbourne hospital where she was placed in an induced coma.

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VJA chief Matt Hyland provided an update Friday morning, saying Lafferty was still in the intensive care unit but doctors had reduced her sedation.

Hyland told RSN that he spoke with Lafferty’s father and he confirmed that his daughter had a lung injury and injuries to her spleen and liver.

“She will undergo further tests and scans today, but the good news is she was brought out of her coma in the middle of the night,” Hyland said.

Hyland said “in general it was pretty good news” when doctors made the decision to “wake her up (from the induced coma) so quickly.”

But he said it was still unclear whether Lafferty – a winner of 162 races – would require surgery.

Racing broadcaster Michael Felgate said it was “a shocking crash… and a lot of the reports were initially quite frightening and worrying.”

He said it was undoubtedly positive that doctors had freed her from sedation.

“Things and fingers are also with Laura’s family,” Felgate said.

“I know there is a famous racing family in the Warrnambool region and everyone is very concerned and hope she can make a full recovery as quickly as possible.”

Lafferty has been very fortunate throughout her career.

In 2021 she crashed in a race at Swan Hill and suffered ligament damage, a concussion and a bone bruise.

In 2022, Lafferty suffered further serious injuries – including another concussion and whiplash – when her horse suffered a medical incident.

After Thursday’s crash at Ballarat Racing, Victoria said the vaunted man had “shied away from the crash”.

The horse was uninjured, but an investigation is underway.