Horse Racing: Jack Doyle’s first ride after injury in over two months
After being out of action for over two months since fracturing the fibula and tibia of his right leg when he fell at Hereford in November of the previous year, jockey Jack Doyle has returned this week, with improved spirit and health, to practice and prepare
to get back in the competition and into the action by next month.
Jockey Doyle’s injury and situation is similar to that of Ruby Walsh, who is also currently forced to remove herself from action, which came to be after the horse Doyle rode, Kilbready Star was unable to jump properly at the sixth fence and took a heavy
fall at a handicap chase on the 7th of November in 2010.
Doyle works under trainer Emma Lavelle as a stable jockey and rode for her to test his recovery on this Sunday. Right now, Doyle wishes to focus on his aim which is to resume his partnership with racehorse Court In Motion, who is at a general 7-1 and is
a favoured contestant for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle taking place in Cheltenham at Haydock next month (February).
Doyle’s return to action was announced by a delighted and relieved Lavelle this Tuesday on her website in a post that read that, “Jack has been riding out for the last three days and it has been great to have him. He was due to ride just one lot on his first
day which turned into three.”
She also mentioned that although Doyle has shown good progress, he will be taking a break for one more week before he starts proper, rigorous training since everyone at the stable seems to believe that the jockey is still some way from recovering his top
form.
The website update by Lavelle also gave information on the stable’s provisional jockey, Steven O’Donovan who sustained an injury to his wrist in a bad fall at Taunton last week. Lavelle wrote about O’Donovan’s condition as rather typical since only one jockey
could take the spotlight at a time and that when that happens the other jockey usually moves to the background. She continued to sympathise, however, with the conditional jockey, saying that the fall at Taunton last week was rather horrible and caused O’Donovan
to chip a bone in his wrist.
Trainer Lavelle continued to state that she was hopeful that O’Donovan will only be missing from action for just over two weeks but mentions that nonetheless, her and her entire team is quite bothered and anxious about the situation of both jockeys.