In a stunning twist, the mother of Tommie Jakes calls for FOI intervention to investigate the baffling death of her son, unveiling newly discovered home video evidence that’s sending shockwaves through the horse racing industry and beyond.
The quaint village of Freckenham, nestled near the historic racing heartland of Newmarket, Suffolk, has always been a place of quiet ambition for families like the Jakes. Here, amid rolling fields and the distant thunder of galloping hooves, 19-year-old Tommie Jakes chased his dreams as a rising star in British horse racing. An apprentice jockey with the George Boughey stable, Tommie had notched 59 career winners by the tender age of 19, a tally that included his debut victory at Lingfield in 2023 aboard the veteran mare Suzi’s Connoisseur. Trainers praised his natural horsemanship, his quiet determination, and the infectious enthusiasm that lit up the weighing room. He was, by all accounts, the future of the sport—a young man whose final ride at Nottingham Racecourse on October 29, 2025, finishing seventh on the long-shot Guarantee, seemed just another step toward greatness.
But in the early hours of October 30, that future shattered. Tommie was found unresponsive at the family home, and despite frantic efforts by paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Suffolk Police swiftly declared the death non-suspicious, passing the case to the coroner for routine inquiries. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF), and Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) issued somber statements, offering condolences and support services to a community reeling from the loss. Racecourses from Chelmsford to Southwell fell silent in tribute, with jockeys donning black armbands and fans flooding social media with memories of the “much-loved son and brother.” George Boughey, Tommie’s employer, captured the collective heartbreak in a post on X: “We are heartbroken… Tommie has been an integral and much-loved member of our team.”
For weeks, the narrative held: a tragic, unexplained passing of a bright young talent, perhaps felled by the unseen pressures of a high-stakes profession or some undetected health issue. The coroner’s preliminary findings hinted at natural causes, though details remained sealed pending toxicology reports. The racing world mourned and moved on, as it often does, with fixtures proceeding under a pall of grief. Tributes poured in from figures like trainer Brian Meehan, who had given Tommie three winners that season, including a poignant victory at Epsom in the iconic Sangster silks. “He had the world at his feet,” Meehan said, his voice cracking in interviews.
Yet, for Tonie Jakes, Tommie’s mother, the official story never sat right. A resilient woman who had supported her son’s entry into racing from the age of 14—balancing school with early morning rides and weekend apprenticeships—Tonie found herself haunted by the void left behind. Tommie, the second of her three children, was her “sunshine,” a boy whose laughter echoed through their modest home even after long days at the track. As days turned to weeks, Tonie’s grief morphed into a relentless quest for answers. “I held him that morning,” she would later confide to close friends, referring to a brief, affectionate embrace before he headed to Nottingham. “He was fine. Vibrant. Planning rides for Chelmsford that evening. How does that vanish overnight?”
Her breakthrough came unexpectedly, in the dim glow of the family living room on a rainy November evening. Sifting through old hard drives for mementos—a habit born of sleepless nights—Tonie stumbled upon a forgotten folder of home videos. These weren’t polished highlights but raw, candid footage captured on a handheld camcorder during Tommie’s formative years in racing. One clip, dated just two weeks before his death, stood out like a thunderclap. Filmed during a routine training session at the Boughey yard, it showed Tommie in his element: lithe and focused, guiding a young filly through paces under the watchful eye of stable staff. But as the camera panned, something unsettling emerged in the background—a fleeting exchange between two senior figures in the yard, their words muffled but urgent, gesturing toward a cluster of supplements and medications on a nearby bench.
The video, timestamped October 15, 2025, captured what appeared to be a hushed discussion about “performance tweaks” for an upcoming meet. Tommie, oblivious, waved at the camera with his trademark grin before mounting up. To Tonie, this was no coincidence. In the video’s audio—enhanced later by a freelance technician friend—snippets of conversation hinted at experimental regimens, whispers of unregulated substances pushed on eager apprentices to shave seconds off times. “It’s not natural,” one voice said, barely audible over the wind. “But the kid’s got potential—worth the edge.” The other replied with a laugh: “Just keep it quiet. Owners don’t ask questions.”
Shaken, Tonie replayed the footage obsessively. Was this the key to the “baffling” circumstances police had glossed over? Tommie had confided in her once, months earlier, about feeling “off” after a string of rides—subtle fatigue, headaches dismissed as dehydration in the cutthroat world of Flat racing. Had the pressures of the industry, compounded by corner-cutting, led to this? The horse racing world, long shadowed by scandals over doping and welfare, suddenly felt complicit in her eyes. From the grandeur of Royal Ascot to the gritty apprentices’ circuits, stories of young riders pushed to extremes were all too common, yet rarely scrutinized.
Determined to pierce the veil, Tonie took a bold step. On November 10, 2025, she penned a public letter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), invoking the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to demand transparency. Addressed also to the BHA and British Horseracing Authority’s integrity unit, the letter called for a full investigation into Tommie’s death, including access to his medical records, stable logs, and any communications related to performance-enhancing protocols at the Boughey yard. “My son deserved better than platitudes and closed doors,” she wrote. “This video isn’t proof—yet—but it’s a crack in the facade. For Tommie, and for every apprentice chasing dreams in this sport, I demand the truth.”
The letter, leaked to the Racing Post and amplified across social media, ignited a firestorm. Within hours, #JusticeForTommie trended on X, with fellow jockeys like Paul Mulrennan—who had ridden against Tommie just hours before his passing—voicing support. “The weighing room knows the toll it takes,” Mulrennan posted. “If there’s more here, it needs airing.” Industry insiders whispered of broader implications: the BHA’s lax oversight on apprentice welfare, the multibillion-pound betting machine that incentivizes risk, and the human cost of a sport romanticized but ruthless. George Boughey issued a measured response, denying any impropriety: “Tommie’s well-being was our priority. We’re cooperating fully and grieve his loss deeply.” Yet, questions lingered—why the background chatter? What “edge” was deemed worth pursuing?
As the FOI request winds through bureaucratic channels—expected to yield initial disclosures by mid-December—Tonie’s stand has transcended personal tragedy. Advocacy groups like the Jockeys’ Welfare Trust have rallied, pledging legal aid and pushing for mandatory mental health screenings in apprenticeships. “Tommie’s story could save lives,” said IJF director Sophie Squire. “It’s a wake-up call for an industry that must evolve.”
In Freckenham, Tonie Jakes sits amid photos of her son—mid-leap over hurdles, arms raised in victory—her resolve unyielding. The home videos, now digitized and shared selectively with investigators, symbolize not just loss but legacy. “I didn’t raise him to fade quietly,” she says, eyes fierce. “This search for truth? It’s what he would have done—for the horses, for the next kid on the track.” As shockwaves ripple from Newmarket to global racing circuits, one mother’s unbowed grief challenges a world to confront its shadows. Tommie Jakes may be gone, but his story, raw and unresolved, gallops on.
