Bholah in serious fall
WINGATUI apprentice jockey Zubair Bholah remains in the intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital after a sickening fall at Kumara on Saturday.
The 29yearold suffered serious injuries after falling from his mount, Morena Roc, soon after the start of race 2.
The Mauritiusborn jockey, who moved to Wingatui last February to work for trainer Steve Tyler, lay unconcious on the track after the fall.
Tyler, who trains Morena Roc, rushed to the jockey’s side and said he feared the worst when he got to Bholah.
‘‘We were watching the start of the race and when he fell, I just sprinted down to try and get to him.
‘‘I got there and he was just lying in a terrible position and looked like he was gone.
‘‘I had this dreadful feeling in my stomach but thankfully he started to come around after a few minutes.’’
Bholah, who came to Wingauti after a riding stint in New Caledonia, was tranported to Grey Base Hospital in Greymouth before being airlifted to Christchurch Hospital
He has been diagnosed with three fractures in his neck, a broken collarbone and shoulder.
Bholah also sustained a severe laceration around his jaw and chin, which required 60 stitches.
The jockey has no spinal cord damage and has feeling in his limbs.
Bholah made a successful start to his riding career in New Zealand. He had five wins from 50 starts before the Kumara meeting, and won one of the feature races on Timy Tyler at last weekend’s Greymouth meeting. The jockey lives with Tyler and his family.
‘‘It was pretty quiet at home last night as everyone is really shaken up with what happened,’’ Tyler said.
‘‘He has become one of the family here and my girls just love him.
Tyler said news that Bholah did not have spinal cord damage was a massive releif.
‘‘The best news we could get is that there is no spinal cord damage as you just don’t want to think about the ramifications of what that would mean, otherwise.
‘‘I’ve been with him at the hospital as much as I can and he has been drifting in and out of consciousness as he took a decent bang to the head when he hit the ground.
‘‘He does remember a little bit of what happened as he said he thought the horse in front of him has just eased up a little and he had nowhere to go.
‘‘He is in for a long recuperation period once they have operated on his injuries, but I think we are all very thankful for it could have been so much worse.’’ — Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk