Ana O’Brien, who was airlifted to hospital on Tuesday evening after sustaining multiple injuries in a fall at Killarney, received confirmation on Wednesday she will not require surgery on fractured vertebrae in her neck and back. The 21-year-old jockey, the daughter of the champion trainer Aidan O’Brien and his wife Annemarie, is expected to be out of action for at least three months.
O’Brien had scans on her injuries, including a fracture to the C1 vertebra at the top of her neck and the T6 vertebra in her mid-back, on Wednesday. She also sustained bilateral fractures to her cheekbones when thrown from Druids Cross, trained by her brother Joseph, in the closing stages of a race at Killarney, an incident in which her mount suffered a fatal injury.
Joseph O’Brien issued a statement on his sister’s progress on Wednesday evening, saying that she was feeling “much better,” a day after her fall.
“Ana is feeling much better today, thank God,” he said. “She had an MRI this morning that confirmed three vertebral fractures at C1, T5 and T6. Her facial fractures will be assessed in the coming days. Thankfully we don’t think she’s going to need any surgery and is going to be treated with a neck and back brace instead. She would like to thank everybody for all their kind thoughts and prayers.
“Ana would also like to thank the brilliant work provided by Dr Adrian McGoldrick and the racecourse medical officers, the Order of Malta, the veterinary team, the ground staff led by Val O’Connell, Mr Peter Murchan, the air medical crew, Professor Paul Redmond and the brilliant team at Cork University Hospital for all their incredible care.”
O’Brien had already set a personal record for winners in a season before her fall, yielding 22 winners, three more than her total in 2016, from only 175 rides, a strike-rate of 13%. She was also in second place in the race for Ireland’s apprentice title behind her brother Donnacha, and became only the third female jockey to ride in the Derby when she partnered The Anvil for her father last month.
John Wright, one of five individuals charged with corruption offences in connection with an alleged “stopping” ride in 2014, told a disciplinary hearing in London on Wednesday he had never spoken to Adam Carter, the jockey whose ride on Blazeofenchantment in a seven-furlong handicap at Southwell on 4 June 2014 is central to the case.
Carter was slowly away in the race and always behind, finishing seventh of nine runners. Wright is alleged to have told Carter in a phone call while the jockey was travelling to the track that he should try to ensure the 4-1 chance did not win. The British Horseracing Authority’s case suggests this instruction was then reiterated by John Wainwright, the horse’s trainer, in the parade ring shortly before the race.
Asked about the claim of a phone call, made by Carter in a statement which he has retracted, Wright said: “I did not speak to Adam Carter. I’ve never spoken to him in my life.”
Wright also admitted to the hearing that his son, Paul Noble, had won £160 with a lay bet against Blazeofenchantment, placed on a Betfair account in the name of his mother, Karen. “He told me about the bet after I was interviewed [by BHA investigators],” Wright said. “I didn’t know about it at the time.”
The hearing also heard telephone evidence from Ben Wainwright, the trainer’s son, who said that his father had suggested he should back Blazeofenchantment on the morning of the race.
“I spoke to my father that morning and he said that he fancied the horse, so I had a bet of £20 each-way,” Ben Wainwright said. “The horse was not given a very good ride, he missed the break and was at the back from then on.”
Speaking to his father subsequently, Wainwright said that “he was very disappointed as well, as he’d told me to back him.”
The hearing is expected to conclude on Thursday, though the panel may not deliver its judgement in the case until a later date.
Thursday’s tips, by Greg Wood
Chepstow
1.50 Demon Rocks 2.20 Kimifive 2.55 Believe It 3.25 Harbour Patrol 4.00 Farleigh Mac 4.30 Lucky Clover 5.05 Bayston Hill 5.35 Tobouggaloo
Doncaster
5.40 Eternalist 6.10 Tig Tog 6.40 Song Of Summer (nap) 7.15 Divine Intuition 7.50 Firefright (nb) 8.20 Vernatti 8.50 Ingleby Mackenzie
Epsom Downs
6.00 Zaria 6.30 Dichato 7.00 Honiara 7.35 Really Super 8.10 Thundering Blue 8.40 Lesanti
Hamilton
2.00 Jive Lady 2.30 Camanche Grey 3.05 Metisian 3.35 Tor 4.10 Fivehundredmiles 4.40 Pioneering 5.15 Catastrophe
Leicester
2.10 Calibration 2.45 Supreme Power 3.15 Mr Tyrrell 3.50 Parlance 4.20 Ventura Knight 4.55 Surround Sound 5.30 Elusivity
