Trainer Charlie Fellowes has paid tribute to his head lad who died of a suspected heart attack while riding out on the gallops. Paul Trueman, who was 55, had joined the Newmarket stable late last year. He was a jockey early in his life who had spent ten years working in Dubai.

He was riding out with the Fellowes string during a routine exercise on Monday when he came off his horse. “He was in the middle of a very steady canter during second lot up the Town Canter over on the Bury side of town and halfway up the canter he just slumped over and slipped off the side,” Fellowes told Mirror Racing.

“It was no fault of the horse whatsoever. Paul was in perfect control and it all looked very normal but suddenly it was clear something wasn’t right.”

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There was a swift response from the gallops medical team who joined another Newmarket trainer James Horton in trying to help Trueman.

Fellowes said: “The response was remarkable. No one could have got there any quicker. The Newmarket Heath medics were on site within five minutes, the ambulance and Air ambulance were there in 20 minutes. He was getting CPR incredibly quickly.

“James Horton was first on the scene and he was absolutely amazing and did everything he could to get him breathing and keep his heart going, but sadly they weren’t able to save him.”

Trueman and his Norwegian wife Benedikte Saint-Pierre had moved into accommodation at Fellowes yard after he was given his job.

“He had been with me for about four months. A head lad of mine left towards the end of last year and Paul was by far the outstanding candidate to apply for the role, even though he had been out of racing for a couple of years,” said Fellowes.

“He just gave you that good feeling. He was a really charming man. You could see he wanted the job and he was excited to do the role and get back into horse racing, and that was exactly what he was like when he started working for me.

“He was an absolute pleasure to have around the yard. He had a very immediate and positive impact on my yard.”

He added: “He was 55 years old with no history of any medical issues. I feel desperately sorry for his partner Benedikte who is left on her own. My heart goes out to her big time.”