A young female jockey has died after falling off a horse in a freak incident at Cranbourne Racecourse in Australia.

Twenty-two-year-old Mikaela Claridge was out on an early morning run with another jockey when something spooked the horses, causing her to fall to the ground.

Trainer Ken Keys told the Herald Sun: “Both horses shied at the same thing, whatever that thing was, it could’ve been anything, you wouldn’t know.”

Governing Body Racing Victoria said: “Mikaela was dislodged from her horse while riding on the sand trails. She was attended to by the on-course paramedic but was tragically unable to be saved.”

The young rider had only got married earlier this year and had posted on Facebook: “What a perfect and emotional couple of weeks! And the most magical day imaginable to marry my dream husband.”

Giles Thompson RV Chief Executive said: “On behalf of the Victorian racing industry, I would like to extend our prayers and heartfelt condolences to Mikaela’s family and friends.

“Mikaela was a talented young rider who was pursuing a career in the sport she loved. Her sad passing is felt by many within our industry today.”

Claridge had suffered a back injury several years ago which meant she was unable to train until 2017. She eventually made her racing debut at Wangaratta Racecourse in August last summer.

In the space of nearly a year the youngster won 28 races, the most recent at Sale Racecourse in July.