The thoughts of everyone in racing are with Ana O’Brien, the daughter of the champion trainer Aidan O’Brien and his wife Annemarie, who is expected to undergo an MRI scan on Wednesday after suffering multiple fractures in a fall at Killarney on Tuesday evening.
O’Brien’s injuries include fractures to both the C1 vertebra in her neck and the T6 vertebra in her back but a bulletin issued by Adrian McGoldrick, the Irish Turf Club’s chief medical officer, late on Tuesday suggested the 21-year-old jockey will be out of action “for three to four months”.
If that prognosis proves to be correct, O’Brien will consider herself incredibly fortunate to have escaped more serious or permanent injuries, though her fall is just the latest reminder of the risks all jockeys face and accept when they climb aboard a horse.
Wednesday racing preview
The news for today’s five cards is that there seems to be no news at all from two of the tracks that will stage racing, which is a little disappointing after a night when some parts of the country were drenched by thunderstorms and others escaped. Well done Catterick – which tweeted an update on ground conditions and rainfall at 7am – and also Uttoxeter and Sandown (where 6mm of rain has changed the going to good). A gentle ‘could do better’ to Lingfield and Great Yarmouth, whose Twitter feeds have found nothing to report, at time of writing.
Significant further rain at Sandown would temper enthusiasm for Eynhallow (8.10) at his current odds of around 11-8 but he has winning form on good ground at Goodwood earlier this season, and looked like a horse with plenty more to give when third at the same track last time out. He suffered a typical passage for a hold-up horse there, while a steady pace in the race also made Eynhallow’s task more difficult, but he gets in on the same mark today and promises to be very hard to beat.
Captain Courageous (7.40) should also go well on the same card, while Hayley Turner makes another brief return to action this evening at Yarmouth and should maintain her 100% strike rate in Britain this year aboard Hart Stopper (5.45) in the opening race. Perfectly Willing (3.00) and Supreme Steel (3.35) can run well at fair prices on the jumps card at Uttoxeter. Scofflaw (3.50), who improved last time out and is just 4lb higher today, makes most appeal on the card at Catterick.
Tips for Wednesday’s races
Catterick Bridge 2.05 Reflect Alexander 2.40 Manatee Bay 3.15 Three Duchesses 3.50 Scofflaw 4.20 Dandys Denouement 4.55 Liberatum 5.25 King Of The Celts
Lingfield Park 2.15 So Sleek 2.50 Buzz Lightyere 3.25 Bermondsey Belle 4.00 Fitzwilly 4.30 Get Even 5.05 Tooty Fruitti 5.35 Zavikon
Uttoxeter 1.55 Malton Rose 2.25 Lieutenant Gruber 3.00 Perfectly Willing 3.35 Supreme Steel 4.10 Trafalgar Rock 4.40 Stonecoldsoba 5.15 Drumlynn
Yarmouth 5.45 Hart Stopper (nb) 6.15 Adulate 6.45 First Flight 7.15 Pretty Passe 7.50 Soaring Spirits 8.20 Iron Lady 8.50 Flying Foxy
Sandown Park 6.05 Blitz 6.35 Groundnut 7.05 A Sure Welcome 7.40 Captain Courageous 8.10 Eynhallow (nap) 8.40 Sussex Ranger
