A fundraising page has been set up to support the family of Ken Dooley, the stable lad who was fatally kicked in the head by a horse at Kempton Park Racecourse on Saturday October 14.

Surrey Police was called to the racecourse last weekend to reports of a sudden death and later confirmed that a man in his 50s had “sustained a serious injury to the head whilst tending to a horse in the stables”.

Shortly afterwards Mr Dooley’s death was confirmed by his employer Amanda Perrett, a renowned trainer whose horse Zhui Feng won the prestigious Royal Hunt Cup earlier this year.

“Ken had been with us for seven years and was a very special member of our close-knit family business at Coombelands,” Perrett said.

“He was an excellent employee, very experienced with racehorses having worked all of his life with them as a jockey, trainer and jockey coach around the world.”

A JustGiving page has now been set up to support Mr Dooley’s family, with a target of £1,000 set to crowdfund the costs of his funeral. Any remaining funds will be donated to charity.

Writing on the JustGiving page, the horse racing website Racing View said: “We are raising money for the family and friends of Ken Dooley who lost his life while doing the job he loved. We would also like to raise money for stable staff and a memorial for the stable lad. No one should go racing and never return home, so please donate generously.

“Stable staff work day in day out, all year round for the love of the horses and sadly the game can be very tough at times. Incidents like this are very rare and upsetting, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Ken at this tragically sad time.”

As of Friday afternoon, more than £1,300 has already been raised.