Horse trainer Saloon Park faces court over death of former Hamilton jockey

Apprentice jockey Mikaela Claridge died in 2019 after being thrown from her horse which was spooked during a pre-dawn training session at the Cranbourne Training Centre's sand trails in Melbourne's south-east.

The trails had no lighting installed and Ms Claridge noted the darkness to her training partner Jamie Hayes in the moments before the fatal fall.

Saloon Park - the company owned by horse trainer Ken Keys who employed the riders - was found guilty of failing to maintain a safe working environment by a jury in Melbourne County Court on March 28.

The training company appeared in the same court on April 21 for a plea hearing.

A prosecutor read the victim impact statements of Ms Claridge's mother Colleen, father Bernie and brothers Jack and Karl.

Colleen said the dangers of the racing industry were known but her daughter's death was avoidable.

She said it was a terrible thought that if proper processes were followed her daughter would still be alive.

She said "every waking moment" she missed her daughter and answers and outcomes were necessary to ensure another young person didn't die, leaving a family as devastated as hers.

Ms Claridge's career started as a stable hand with former Hamilton trainer Allan Clark.

Bernie said his daughter rode her push bike six kilometres to work in "rain, hail and shine" and when she was accepted into the 2015 intake of Racing Victoria's apprentice jockey training program, it was the happiest day of her life.

He said she overcame a serious spinal injury in her pursuit to be a jockey and her passion took her to Echuca and then Cranbourne.

The court heard Ms Claridge's family attended the turf club on the day after her death to lay wreaths.

Bernie said when he looked at the track where his beloved daughter died, he was hit with the brutal reality of what had happened.

He said his daughter had called him a week earlier with concerns about riding in the dark and the guilt of not telling her trainer would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Ms Hayes told the court of the disbelief she felt when she saw her best friend lying on the ground after the fatal fall and said Ms Claridge deserved "so much better".

Defence submissions obtained by The Standard claimed there was a reasonable inference that the turf club, which opened the sand trails, considered them safe to be used.

The document said many other trainers had used the trails in similar circumstances at the time of Ms Claridge's death.

The club has since banned the use of the trails during the hours of darkness and Saloon Park has included that direction in its own OH&S material, the defence submissions said.

On Friday, barrister Robert Taylor expressed Saloon Park's "deep regret" for the loss of Ms Claridge's life and the effect it had on her family and friends.

He said he had never received so may positive character references in relation to a single client and that a heavy fine would place significant financial burden on the company.

Mr Taylor acknowledged no financial penalty could compare to a loss of a life.

But he said Saloon Park was less culpable than Cranbourne Turf Club which had direct control and management of the facility.

The turf club pleaded guilty to charges earlier this year and was convicted and fined $250,000.

Judge Peter Rozen will sentence Saloon Park on May 5.

He indicated he would impose a fine on the company but said the figure "should not in anyway be understood by anyone as being an assessment of the worth of the life of Mikaela Claridge".

"Her life was of course priceless," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: