Singapore apprentice jockey Khalid Hairi Marzuki underwent two surgeries for brain trauma sustained in a race fall at Kranji on Sunday, but remains under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

The 31-year-old went through a first surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain on Sunday night. A second operation was performed in the early hours of Tuesday morning to relieve the pressure at the bottom of his fractured skull. 

Both surgeries are reported to have gone well, with his neurosurgeon now waiting for Hairi, as he is better known (though Khalid is his official riding name), to come round to have a better idea of his condition.
 
Hairi is currently under sedation at the ICU, where family members and friends have been gathered since Sunday. Further updates on his progress will be made known whenever they are available.

The fall occurred in Race 5, the Hello New York Stakes, a Class 4 Premier race over 1200m when his mount Chariots Of Fire appeared to clip heels with Crazy Dreams at the 550m mark before crashing heavily.

As Chariots Of Fire was in the first half of the race, Hairi could not avoid falling in harm’s way, possibly getting trampled by two horses following behind.

In the Stipes report, six horses are mentioned to have been hampered by the backwash to various degrees, with King’s Speech and Triple Trio the most severely affected before being eased out of the race. The winner was Eye Guy, who led from start to finish.

Unfortunately, Chariots Of Fire could not be saved after he fractured his near-fore humerus. An inquiry will be conducted at a later date when all parties are able to attend.

Hairi just returned from a successful stint in New Zealand where he spent 21 months gaining further experience under the Singapore Turf Club training programme.

He was indentured to Kranji trainer Bruce Marsh’s son Stephen in Cambridge, riding a total of 19 winners from 248 rides. He was even given the Most Promising 1st Year Apprentice Award at last October’s Milan Park Waikato Apprentice Jockeys Awards.

Originally indentured to ex-Kranji trainer Steven Lam in Singapore, the son of ex-jockey Marzuki Sani had Marsh Snr as his new master upon his return home in May. A previous one-time winner at Kranji (Silver Wind on May 8, 2016), Hairi has had 17 rides since his return, and had yet to win a race.