Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore suffered a fractured ankle and hip injury when Merry Poppins fell at Killarney in July; Blackmore hoping to return to riding out by the end of September with race riding to follow shortly after
Wednesday 22 September 2021 17:06, UK
Rachael Blackmore is planning on being back in the saddle by early October.
Blackmore, who won the Champion Hurdle on Honeysuckle and the Grand National on Minella Times last season, suffered a fractured ankle and hip injury in a fall at Killarney in July.
While no jockey ever wants to be on the sidelines, if there is a good time for it to happen to a National Hunt jockey it is in the summer and she will be back in time to ride Henry de Bromhead's big guns.
"The recovery has gone really well and the doctors are all happy with my progress, so I'd say I'll be riding out maybe by the end of the month and hopefully back racing in the next couple of weeks," she told RTÉ Sport.
"It's part and parcel of our job, unfortunately.
"I'm just glad it didn't happen in April or March last year."
Despite missing over two months of action, including the Galway Festival, Blackmore remains third in the Irish jump jockeys' championship, having already ridden 22 winners in the 2021/22 season from 103 rides, trailing leader Darragh O'Keeffe by just eight.
Blackmore enjoyed her best ever campaign last season when riding 92 winners, eight fewer than champion Paul Townend.
