A JOCKEY labelled the 'most beautiful young lady in racing' is fighting for her life in hospital after a horror fall left her in a coma and needing brain surgery.
Leah Kilner, 24, has been a revelation Down Under, winning over fans with her top rides and popular personality.
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Sun Racing showcased her rapid rise through the ranks, which has seen her already amass prize money in the millions.
But the entire racing world is praying for good news after she suffered a devastating injury while riding at Grafton racecourse on Sunday.
Kilner was riding Stella's Turn when a mid-race incident saw her fall from the horse.
The rest of the meeting was abandoned and Kilner was airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
She was reported to be in and out of consciousness at the time but her trainer-boss Rob Heathcote has since updated followers on her progress.
He said: "It has been a very bad day.
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"Leah had a bad fall when the two-year-old she was riding collapsed. She struck the ground hard with her head.
"She was immediately attended to by the medical team and airlifted to the specialist brain trauma unit at hospital.
She is a very sick young girl and she is in a coma since the fall.
"She is currently, as at 6pm Sunday (Australia time) having surgery to release the pressure on her brain.
HUGELY POPULAR PERSONALITY
"It is a very grave situation and we should all pray for her to come through this.
"Leah is the most beautiful young lady I have met in racing so we need to pray for her recovery.
"I just wanted you all to know what's happening as you love her as much as we do."
Clarence River Jockey Club chief executive Michael Beattie said: "Leah was unconscious but she was breathing unassisted the whole time and her blood pressure was good.
"But until she gets examined we won't know what injuries she has suffered in the fall.
"Because there was such a long delay of more than an hour before Leah was airlifted from the course, there was a great wave of concern for her from the other jockeys.
"It was clear they were in a mindset not to ride so I had a discussion with stewards and felt in it was everyone's best interests to postpone the rest of the meeting."
Kilner has ridden 204 winners through her career and earned more than £3million on the track from her rides.
Speaking of her desire to be a jockey, Kilner previously said: "I never started trackwork until I was 18 because Dad never really wanted me to do it.
WINNERS WITH HER DAD
"But when I turned 18 I remember walking up to Dad and I said, ‘I think you need to give me a go, or I’ll go somewhere else’.
"So he probably had no choice!"
And although Rob is her boss now, she had great success starting out with her dad Greg, who was at Grafton when she fell.
The father and daughter duo landed successive wins with filly Glorious Ruby, pocketing more than £120,000 in the space of a fortnight.
Speaking of her bond with the horse, Leah said: "She is one of my favourites, it is hard to go past her.
"She holds a very special spot in my heart. I’ve ridden Group One horses in trackwork in Sydney and I’ve won on the likes of Emerald Kingdom.
"Just to sit on those horses is fantastic, but she holds a very special spot.
"She was my first Saturday winner, she has won me £66,000 races… she even helped me buy a new Mercedes-Benz!"
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