- A jockey has revealed the brutal reality of horse racing after a heavy fall
- Nico De Boinville was kicked in the back after falling off As The Fella Says
- Trainer Nicky Henderson must now find a new jockey for Constitution Hill
A jockey has revealed the brutal reality of horse racing after suffering a heavy fall over the Easter weekend.
Nico De Boinville was kicked in the back after falling off As The Fella Says in the novice handicap hurdle on the Sussex Champion Chase card on Monday.
While he was conscious after the incident, he was taken by ambulance to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he spent the night under observation.
Although he was able to return home on Tuesday, De Boinville is expected to spend a period on the sidelines after sustaining a number of injuries in the heavy fall.
Trainer Nicky Henderson said that he unlikely to return to action within the next two weeks at the earliest.
This leaves Henderson needing to find jockeys for Jonbon in Saturday’s bet365 Celebration Chase and Constitution Hill in the Punchestown Boodles Champion Hurdle, which takes place on Friday May 2.
Nico De Boinville is expected to spend a period on the sidelines after his fall
Trainer Nicky Henderson issued a health update on one of his star jockeys after they fell
De Boinville was kicked in the back after falling off As The Fella Says on Monday
That will force Henderson to find a replacement for popular runner Constitution Hill, who has only ever been ridden by De Boinville
He will therefore also need to find replacements for other runners at Sandown and Punchestown.
Speaking to the Racing Post, Henderson said: ‘He’s at home now and Sam Twiston-Davies has been minding him and brought him back, so he’s back with his family which is the most important thing.
‘He’s got some broken ribs and his neck has taken a bit of a bash so he’s having to sit pretty still.
‘It was a nasty fall and thankfully As The Fella Says is okay, but our jockey is not, although hopefully he’ll be perfectly all right in the long term.’
However, the trainer was mindful of not rushing him back into action and emphasised the importance of the need for De Boinville to recover.
He added: ‘We’re trying to sort things out, we’ve got Punchestown to sort out as well, but he definitely won’t be riding this weekend or next week.
‘After next week it doesn’t matter anyway, but the main thing is that he’s back and fighting fit for the restart. As long as he’s fighting fit that’s all that matters.
‘Jonbon is ticking over and he’s in very good order. Constitution Hill is going to have his gallop on Thursday or Friday, but it’s important that Nico is home.’
