Further pain for injured jumps jockeys
Jumps jockeys Mathew Gillies, Daniel Miller and Shaun Fannin were missing from action at Te Aroha on Sunday.
The trio sustained injuries in an incident-packed maiden steeplechase at Hastings on Sunday.
Miller broke a collarbone when dislodged from Sir Al Syd, who was badly hampered by the faller Kangaroo. That horse’s rider Shaun Fannin seemed lucky to escape serious injury when he was knocked to the ground by a following runner.
Gillies sustained a rib injury when his well fancied mount Beforuniot fell with 800m to run in the same race.
Fannin was limping after the mishap but took his mount aboard favourite I’ve Got This in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase.
The horse was pulled up on the journey, Fannin reporting he jumped indifferently and never hit out.
Fannin didn’t pull up too well and scratched himself from Te Aroha.
He will have x-rays on a sore ankle on Monday.
The pain would have intensified after his Te Aroha mounts made a habit of saluting the judge in the hands of substitute riders.
Lady of the moment Emily Farr was the first to benefit.
She picked up Fannin’s mount Raisafuasho in the first race and the in-form rider ran away for victory on the Ann Browne-trained jumper.
Farr who won the $50,000 Hawke’s Bay Hurdle on Saturday, experienced the ups and downs of the jumps gameon Sunday.
After Raisafuasho it was all down with crashes aboard Kentucky Son and Glamour Boy interspersed with a second aboard Amanood Lad.
Emma Goodison was the next to make the most of the absence of Fannin this winter’s leading jumps jockey.
She rode a top race to boot Beverley Beck home in the maiden hurdle for trainer Antony Fuller.
The roll continued in the following race when Shaun Phelan did the pinch-hitting for Gillies aboard Goosebumps.
Phelan rained on the parade of his partner Emily Farr who was aboard the firm favourite Amanood Lad.
The Mark Brooks fencer jumped fluently and the pull in the weights was enough for him to race away from the favourite.
Michael Mitchell made the most of Gillies’ misfortune climbing aboard highweight winner D’Llaro in his absence.