Queensland jockey Shane McGovern has died after a devastating accident at his stables in Charters Towers last month, with the Australian Jockeys Association announcing on Saturday morning that he had passed away from the injuries. Riders in New South Wales were due to wear black armbands in his honour on Saturday.

The association said, "We are devastated to announce that after a hard fought battle QLD jockey Shane McGovern passed away this morning." McGovern had been in palliative care after both of his legs were amputated following the accident, which began when his nine-year-old horse Reformist suffered an aneurysm and died during a routine trackwork session. The horse collapsed and landed on him, leaving him trapped for six hours until his wife, Kim, found him.

The injury left McGovern without circulation to both legs, and doctors later had to amputate both. The Australian Jockeys Association said on April 17, 2026, that he had already undergone surgery to remove his left leg above the knee and was stable and doing well considering, but his condition worsened in the days that followed.

Kevin Ring said, "They just couldn't control the infection and he was also bleeding internally." He added, "They did take a bit more of his left leg off but they couldn't do any more," and, "They were pumping him full of blood and he was surviving but that was it." Ring said, "The family just agreed it was best to let him rest and keep him comfortable."

The racing community had raised more than $80,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, and the Queensland Jockeys Association set up a page and donated $5,000. McGovern's death closes a grim chapter that began with a routine day at the track and ended with a rider fighting for his life after the kind of accident that can change a racing stable in a single moment.