Tragedy that led TV star jockey to OnlyFans

2 years ago 130

Murray Bridge Cup Day is 1 of the biggest state contention meetings connected the South Australian calendar.

The 2014 variation - held 8 years agone Saturday - was nary different. It was a beauteous time - the way was a Good 4.

Libby Hopwood had a thrust successful each 9 races connected the card. Coming into Race 8, her champion effect of the time was a 3rd successful Race 4.

Hopwood was riding Barigan Boy successful Race 8 erstwhile she was progressive successful a monolithic autumn with 3 different horses.

Her adjacent person Caitlin Forrest was starring the contention connected Colla Voce erstwhile the equine broke a limb successful beforehand of the full pack.

It was a fearfulness clang - Forrest died from her injuries that night, portion Hopwood was near with a terrible encephalon injury.

She has nary recollection of that day, oregon thing from the pursuing 3 weeks of her life.

Facing the harsh world of ne'er riding again, Hopwood told Wide World of Sports 1 of her earliest memories pursuing the clang was an statement with a therapist.

"I was arguing with my 1 of my therapists astatine the rehab centre that they could fto maine retired - that determination was thing incorrect with me," she said.

"She suggested that I locomotion connected a foam board, and if I could bash that I could locomotion out.

"I couldn't, and that was benignant of a turning constituent successful maine realising that I should astir apt enactment successful rehab for a spot longer."

And this realisation came astatine the aforesaid clip Hopwood was grieving the nonaccomplishment of a adjacent friend.

"I was trying to get backmost to riding due to the fact that that was each I knew and it was however I was trying to portion myself together," she said.

"But past I felt blameworthy for trying to get backmost to riding, due to the fact that it had claimed my person and past I felt blameworthy again, due to the fact that I walked distant erstwhile she didn't.

"There were tons of stages to the betterment process. And astir of it was emotional."

Hopwood had to hold 2 years, arsenic is modular signifier for encephalon injuries to measure their severity aft they stabilise, earlier confirmation came she would ne'er beryllium capable to thrust successful different race.

"I kept doing tests for them. I kept trying to walk each the tests that I needed to pass, and past yet the stewards sat maine down and said 'we volition ne'er beryllium looking to walk you'.

"Same arsenic my neurologist, helium said 'I tin ne'er springiness you the greenish airy to thrust again.'

"If I person different fall, past it volition compound the encephalon wounded that I already have. And I'm starting from an already damaged brain.

"It would beryllium catastrophic.

"I was precise fortunate to get distant with the repercussions that I had now. And the adjacent clip I wouldn't beryllium truthful lucky."

A abbreviated clip later, Hopwood began a five-year stint arsenic a presenter with Sky Racing. She said that acquisition helped her to heal from her encephalon injury, arsenic good arsenic unit her to find ways to adapt.

"It forced my encephalon to commencement reasoning again," she said.

"I'd benignant of plateaued retired astatine that clip successful my recovery, and I deliberation moving astatine Sky I dipped a small spot due to the fact that I was nether a spot of unit … but past I deliberation it started to commencement reasoning again."

She said her encephalon wounded led her to make her ain shorthand note-taking strategy that was important to her being capable to successfully bash her job. She besides developed aphasia, which meant she had to origin successful scheduled interruption clip to let her encephalon clip to retrieve - oregon tally the hazard of saying wholly incorrect words on-air without knowing.

Towards the extremity of her stint astatine Sky, Hopwood started her ain concern connected the broadside - EPTequine, which specialises successful pulsed electromagnetic tract therapy.

In a nutshell, it's tiny physics pulses focused connected a peculiar country to assistance successful wounded recovery. She utilized it during her ain recovery, and present does it connected horses.

The concern has since grown to employment 2 unit successful Sydney.

But Hopwood is present grooming 1 of her Sydney unit to instrumentality connected the day-to-day moving of the business, portion she focuses connected her newest task - OnlyFans.

While usually associated with homemade pornography, Hopwood's relationship is racing tips delivered successful lingerie, "with a fewer small things successful determination arsenic well".

She started her relationship earlier this year, and it has already made her capable dosh to conscionable astir bargain her and her spouse a house.

"I emotion racing, I emotion talking astir racing, and I person an astonishing lingerie collection," she said astir however the thought archetypal came along.

"I'm a small spot of an exhibitionist, and I thought wherefore not? I consciousness similar the level is determination to marque it what you privation to, truthful I thought if I could bash thing successful my spare time, that tin gain other money, past wherefore not springiness it a go, and past it grew from there."

Hopwood said she besides started the relationship to "shake up" the blimpish communicative attached with the racing industry.

"Now I'm looking for my afloat clip gig, and I volition bid radical to instrumentality implicit my presumption with the horses," she said.

"My biggest interest was putting my bum connected the net and earning $50. So I've perfectly passed that."

She said she wasn't fussed by societal media hate.

"People came aft maine connected Twitter erstwhile I was connected Sky successful a blazer with glasses on, and they inactive privation to person a spell astatine maine now.

"You can't really triumph truthful wherefore not unrecorded your beingness to suit yourself?"

Ahead of Saturday's The Everest astatine Randwick, Hopwood has teamed up with Punters Club. She's picked Nature Strip to triumph the $15 cardinal race, contempt drafting the widest barrier.

"Nature Strip is conscionable by acold the champion successful the race. He's got (jockey James McDonald), he's got (trainer) Chris Waller. There utilized to beryllium chinks successful his armour, due to the fact that helium would bash things wrong.

"I utilized to picture him arsenic the young bullish rugby subordinate wherever everybody's telling him he's shit-hot and helium does anserine things due to the fact that helium conscionable got a spot afloat of himself.

"But he's got a fewer flags nether his loop present and he's matured into himself and helium is going to beryllium truthful hard to beat."

The Everest jumps astatine 4:15pm connected Saturday afternoon.

* You tin articulation Libby Hopwood's punt nine syndicate astatine puntclub.com

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!