Bullock, Small Fall at Taree; Bullock Concussed, Small Cleared

Racing NSW confirmed Aaron Bullock was dislodged after Race 7 at Taree and sustained a concussion, requiring hospital checks, while Leeshelle Small was examined on course and cleared. That official update sits amid a meeting fractured by at least two separate multi‑horse incidents that left jockeys and horses badly hurt and raised immediate questions about the stewards' tally and the card’s continuity.

The meeting’s opening apprentice race produced the meeting’s most traumatic scene when Bazza’s Boy, ridden by Samantha Clenton, crashed to the turf at the home turn with a reported fractured front leg. Bazza’s Boy was euthanised after the race, and Clenton was airlifted from Taree Airport to hospital with suspected fractures to her collarbone and leg; Clenton told reporters, "I've had a few falls before but this is definitely the worst." Trailing runners Nonino, Blinkin Rules, Casino Bride and Lady Lobban were all involved in the chain reaction. Jackson Murphy, aboard Blinkin Rules, was stabilised on track and airlifted with suspected hip, rib, sternum and neck injuries. Nyssa Burrells and Kaylee Kirkwood were transported to Port Macquarie for scans and assessment; Taylor Marshall’s condition is reported inconsistently across outlets — some accounts say he walked away, others report a slight concussion and that he was stood down.

A separate collapse in Race 6 turned the meeting into a medical operation. Balzando fell near the 400m and apprentice Lachlan Scorse was intubated and sedated; Racing NSW stewards posted that Scorse "has been in and out of consciousness, he's sedated and awaiting transfer to hospital." Jeff Penza suffered fractured ribs, a lung injury and concussion and was to be admitted to ICU overnight. Jeff Kehoe was cleared to go home with soft‑tissue bruising to his left leg and right shoulder, while Courtney Van Der Werf awaited x‑rays on a suspected fractured left clavicle. The Great Lakes Advocate reports paramedics attended and the last race on the card was abandoned as medical crews tended to the injured.

Taree‑Wingham Race Club chair Greg Coleman framed the scene bluntly, saying the fall "does put it in perspective how dangerous the industry can be", and local coverage said five ambulances were on site. Manning River Times and Newcastle Herald reported that two riders were to be flown to John Hunter Hospital and others to Port Macquarie trauma services; the reports explicitly name Murphy and Clenton as airlifted.

Outlets differ on totals: national coverage put the injured at six, JustHorseRacing described four apprentices taken to hospital, and local papers alternately recorded four or five riders down in the first race. Those discrepancies appear to reflect separate incidents across the card rather than a single tally; Racing NSW’s Race 7 update covers Bullock and Small only. With at least one horse euthanised, multiple airlifts and ICU admissions reported, Racing NSW is the primary authority for any consolidated injury list and steward inquiries. Medical updates and official steward reports remain pending as the Taree meeting’s fallout continues to ripple through trainers, jockeys and betting markets.