Paul Nicholls labelled the backing of Keagan Kirkby’s fundraising page as ‘fantastic’.

Keagan Kirkby, a popular member of the Paul Nicholls team and talented point-to-point rider, tragically lost his life while riding at Charing point-to-point in Kent on February 4.

A JustGiving page was set up to help raise funds for Kirkby's funeral and memorial, with an initial target of £5,000 set. The fundraising page quickly passed the initial target following overwhelming support and generosity from those inside and outside of racing, with the page passing £54,000 on Thursday morning.

Nicholls said: "There is over £54,000 raised now for Keagan, which shows what high esteem he was held in,"

"It shows how racing can pull together and everybody has supported it from all walks of life, and it is just fantastic. It is fantastic what racing has done and it helps us get through what has been a difficult time.

"We can now give him a great send-off and I think his mum's intention is that any money left over will go to any charities he felt close to."

The Paul Nicholls-trained Fire Flyer, who Keagan rode every single day, produced a poignant success at Taunton last week, with Ditcheat owner Michael Geoghegan generously donating the prize-money to the fund.

"It's obviously a tragic time, but all the winners help in this situation, I think especially when Fire Flyer won at Taunton," continued Nicholls.

"Keagan rode that horse every single day and for him to win down there was very poignant. It was a tribute to Keegan, and the whole team were on a high because that horse won for him really. Winners count and it makes life just a little bit easier."