Racing Victoria (RV) extends its condolences to the family and friends of Ricky Frew on the passing of a long-standing and respected member of the Victorian racing family.
Ricky, 53, passed away peacefully last night after suffering a heart attack at Flemington Racecourse on Thursday morning when overseeing trackwork for the Hawkes Racing stable.
The popular foreman had spent the past 15 years working for Hall of Fame trainer John Hawkes and his sons Wayne and Michael after working the best part of a decade for trainer Tony Vasil prior to that.
A former jockey who was apprenticed to Jack Besanko at Epsom, Ricky also spent time working within Victoria’s harness racing industry including a stint for Hall of Famer Ted Demmler.
RV Executive General Manager Racing and Participant Wellbeing, Greg Carpenter, said: “Ricky was one of the many unsung heroes of our sport, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help in the training of horses, most recently for an extended period for Hawkes Racing.
“He is someone who will be remembered for not only his work in helping to train and educate horses, but also the many younger members of the industry whom he helped guide during his working life.
“On behalf of Racing Victoria, I extend our sincere condolences to Ricky’s family and many friends, along with all at Hawkes Racing, on the sad passing of a valued member of our industry.”