‘We loved her so much.’ Exercise rider dies in fall on final day of Keeneland meet.
On the final day of the Spring Meet, a Keeneland exercise rider died as the result of a training accident.
Callie Witt, 20, was thrown from a horse shortly after 8 a.m. Friday on the Keeneland training track.
Witt was attended to by Alpha Event Medicine, the racetrack’s on-site medical team, before Lexington Fire and Emergency arrived within six minutes of the accident and transported Witt to the University of Kentucky Emergency Department.
Witt was pronounced dead at the emergency department due to blunt force injuries.
Maj. Jessica Bowman of the Lexington Fire Department confirmed to the Herald-Leader that at 8:01 a.m. Friday, fire crews were dispatched to Keeneland to attend to a person injured from a fall, and that an ambulance transported that person to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“We are heartbroken by this tragic loss,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said in a statement Friday morning. “Our hearts and prayers go out to Callie’s family, friends and our collective racing community at this difficult time.”
On Friday afternoon, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission also released a statement that read: “The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission is heartbroken by the news of the untimely death of exercise rider, Callie Witt. The horse racing community is a family and the loss of any member is devastating. Her family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear posted a message honoring Witt on social media Friday afternoon.
“Britainy and I extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and the entire horse racing community over the tragic loss of exercise rider Callie Witt,” the message read. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Witt family.”
The final day of racing of the Keeneland Spring Meet — which featured 10 races — continued as scheduled, although a moment of silence for Witt was observed.
Witt was working as an exercise rider for trainer Joe Sharp.
In a phone call with the Herald-Leader, Sharp said he was at Churchill Downs in Louisville when the accident occurred.
When asked about the accident, Sharp directed the Herald-Leader to the statements issued by Keeneland.
Sharp told the Herald-Leader the horse Witt was riding was training and “out for a normal morning gallop.”
Sharp said he was in contact with Keeneland’s vice president of equine safety, Dr. Stuart E. Brown II, as attempts were made to resuscitate Witt, and Sharp was able to keep Witt’s parents notified throughout the emergency response process.
“Her work ethic was second to none,” Sharp said of Witt. “She was just a real gung-ho girl that came to us about a year ago. She had her whole life ahead of her, wanted to be a jockey. We loved her so much. ... You just can’t say enough good things about her and we’re just gutted, honestly.”
On Friday night, Keeneland released further information about the accident, which included this description from Brown.
“At approximately 8 a.m., while performing a routine gallop of an unraced 2-year-old filly, the horse shifted her stride causing Callie to be dismounted, landing on the inner synthetic training track material.”
While Keeneland has referred to the horse Witt was riding as a 2-year-old, Sharp told the Herald-Leader the horse was a 3-year-old.
Brown said the horse involved in the accident “has been evaluated and has demonstrated no signs of unsoundness or injury.”
A native of Nebraska, Witt was about to graduate from the North American Racing Academy in Lexington, and was also a student at Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
“She didn’t take no for an answer and she kept coming back and kept trying to better herself,” Sharp said. “As the bar raised higher, she rose to the occasion. It’s a challenging occupation, the racetrack is a challenging way of life ... she loved it. She was doing what she loved.”
Witt was an accomplished wrestler while in high school at North Bend Central High School in North Bend, Neb.
She was a state girls’ wrestling champion in the 113-pound class in 2020, the first year that Nebraska held girls’ state wrestling championships.
Ongoing efforts to provide support and grief counseling are available through Keeneland’s Chaplaincy program.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 11:50 AM.
