Jamie Kyne, 18, was tipped as a rising star. The son of an Irish stud farmer, he was attached to trainer John Quinn, and had already ridden 29 winners in the season.

These included the biggest victory of his career, when he won the £40,000 sportingbet.com at York in May on Allan Dickman’s Ishetoo.

One racing writer had dubbed Jamie the “apprentice find of the season” and his name was appearing with increasing frequency in the tipsters’ columns.

Gerry Davin, who has set up a group in memory of the two young jockeys, described Jamie as “such a loveable rogue, cheeky and just an all-round top lad.”

Sledmere trainer Declan Carroll, with whom Jamie began his career, said: “I brought Jamie to this country from Galway. I saw him riding at the Kempton Breeze Ups. He was a good rider and had a lovely personality.”

“He was one of the rising stars,” added Ian McInnes, who had also employed Jamie.

“It’s a huge loss.”


Jan Wilson’s Bebo web page said it all. The 19-year-old’s ambitions were “to be a successful jockey and do my best at everything I do in life.”

It was that ambition that took her from her family’s farm in Forfar, Scotland, to the British Racing School in 2007.

When she took up her post as an apprentice jockey at David Barron’s stables in Thirsk, she announced that she had “the best job in the world”.

Only four weeks before her death, Jan enjoyed her third adult victory on the racecourse – romping to success in her native land in a race at Ayr.

Christine Barron, with whom the teenager boarded during her tenure at her husband’s North Yorkshire stables, spoke of a “lovely” girl who had a bright future ahead of her.

“She was just a very nice, very lovely girl,” she said.

“She had been with us for just over a year. It is a terrible thing.”