Westow-based Wendy Gibson relieved injury lay-off will only be for two months

11:32am Thursday 2nd July 2009

By Tom O'Ryan

Wendy Gibson, who took a crashing fall at Leicester last Thursday night, is likely to be out of action for up to two months.

The season’s leading lady amateur rider suffered two broken ribs, a fractured vertebra and a torn liver when she was unseated – and trodden on – by Nomoreblondes, trained by her boss, Westow-based Paul Midgley, a split-second after leaving the stalls in a sprint handicap.

Gibson was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where she remained until yesterday, when she was allowed back to her Stamford Bridge home.

While she was mightily relieved not to have had to spend any more time in hospital, she has been warned that she needs to take things very slowly in the coming weeks, mainly to give her liver time to heal.

“The consultant told me I have to take things easily for a couple of months. I’ve got to go back for a check-up in six weeks’ time, and I’ve been told not to go anywhere near a horse in the meantime,” she said.

Gibson has ridden three winners this season, including a first success at Newmarket on Grand Art, and, more recently, a 25-1 victory in the Ripon Ladies’ Derby aboard Dimashq, likewise trained by Midgley.

“Things had been going very well, but you never know what’s around the corner in this game,” said Gibson. “The main thing is I’m going to be all right. It could have been a lot worse.”

Monday’s lady amateur riders’ race at Pontefract, in which Gibson should have been on the unplaced Ming Vase, fell to Serena Brotherton, who gained a 14-1 success aboard the Mick Easterby-trained Gala Sunday, owned by local businessman Steve Hull.

Norton trainer Brian Ellison may not have fulfilled his lifelong ambition of winning last Saturday’s Northumberland Plate, but the Tyneside-born handler had plenty of celebrating to do on his birthday the following day.

Ellison sent out five winners in the week, which included Overrule, who clinched Carlisle’s prestigious Cumberland Plate, and which set the scene for a winner-a-day at Newcastle’s ‘Plate’ meeting.

Ellison, who had started his memorable week with a Wolverhampton success courtesy of Aureate, the mount of his daughter Lorraine, was delighted to see Overrule prove himself a smart performer in the Cumberland Plate, which carried a first prize of more than £19,000.

“What he wants is a fast gallop from the start, and fast ground,” said Ellison.

At Newcastle, Keisha Kayleigh and Kingsdale Orion, who had finished third to Overrule at Carlisle, both did the business under smart apprentice Lance Betts, while Rosko benefited from a tremendous ride from Tom Eaves to beat My Mate Mal, his stable-mate, on Friday night, to give Ellison a notable 1-2.

Knot In Wood, whose tough-as-teak qualities as a sprinter have earned him plenty of fans, sensationally bridged the gap between top handicapper and Pattern-race performer at Newcastle last Saturday.

The battle-hardened seven-year-old won the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes – clinched last year by his stable-mate, Utmost Respect – to gain his 10th success in a 55-race career which has now yielded well over £200,000 in prize money.

“What a legend he is,” said trainer Richard Fahey, referring to a horse whose first-ever success, at Carlisle in 2005, had been gained off a lowly rating of 60. He’s now got a three-figure rating.

“He’s the grandest horse, and although he’s come up short in Group races in the past, he loved the soft ground, he was largely allowed the run of the race and Paul (Hanagan) gave him a great ride.”

Knot In Wood’s valuable success, worth over £37,000, was the highlight of another lucrative week for Fahey. His winners included a double the previous day with Wigan Lane at Doncaster and High Ambition at Newcastle, both partnered by Freddie Tylicki, who is setting a scorching pace in the apprentices’ championship. He started this week on a score of 24. Jamie Kyne is in third place on 19 winners.

Fahey also won with Sioux Rising in a thrilling finish to the EBF Park Suite Fillies’ Handicap at Doncaster on Monday, ridden by Paul Hanagan.

Noel Wilson has the Ayr Gold Cup as the main target for Pavershooz, who, following on from his recent success in the Scottish Sprint Cup at Musselburgh, clinched the Gosforth Park Cup at Newcastle last Friday night.

Again ridden by Ryedale jockey Duran Fentiman, who has forged a notable rapport with the talented gelding, Pavershooz won the £20,000 feature at the main expense of Buachaill Dona and Hamish McGonagall, who had finished first and second in the corresponding race 12 months earlier.

“I nearly didn’t run him when the rain came and the ground turned soft,” admitted Flaxton trainer Wilson.

“He’s a very good horse, still a big baby, and the best of him is still to come. He’s doing us proud. These are tough times for small trainers and when you only have 20 horses – and a lot of empty boxes – to win a couple of valuable handicaps, like Pavershooz has, is just great. The Ayr Gold Cup is his principal target.”

It’s not just Jamie Kyne who is making a big impression as a Highfield apprentice this season. Also coming to the fore is Ian Brennan, who rode his first winner for boss John Quinn with a quality effort at Newmarket last Saturday on Violent Velocity.

The 20-year-old Brennan, who had ridden a winner at Ayr the previous week for Scottish trainer George Foster, had previously partnered three winners in his native Ireland for Adrian McGuiness. He joined Quinn in the spring and looks excellent value for his 7lb allowance.

Violent Velocity initiated an across-the-card double for the in-form Quinn, whose progressive stayer, Hawk Mountain, also hit the target at Doncaster under Graham Gibbons.

After being conspicuous by their absence from the winners’ enclosure for some considerable time, Ryedale trainers Tim FitzGerald and John Wainwright ended their barren spells on the same afternoon at Market Rasen.

FitzGerald was on the mark last Friday with the home-bred French Hollow, his first winner for 594 days, while Wainwright scored with Oniz Tiptoes, whose likewise 16-1 success ended a barren spell lasting 355 days.

Ryedale claimer Barry McHugh was the jockey to follow at Musselburgh on Monday evening.

The 5lb claimer completed a notable double aboard Mooted, trained by Julie Camacho, and the Ann Duffield-trained Salerosa, both horses getting home in tight finishes, which showed McHugh in an excellent light.

The Camacho string is now beginning to hit top form after a slow start to the season. Earlier in the week, the Norton trainer had been on the mark at Carlisle with Sir Nod, a second winner on that card for Paul Hanagan, who had earlier won on Richard Fahey’s relentless front-runner, Sunnyside Tom.

Congratulations to Ted Carter, who deservedly had a race named in his honour in Racing Welfare’s ‘Lifetime In Racing’ series at Pontefract on Monday.

The scheme acknowledges the unsung heroes of the racing game who have given a lifetime to the sport, a category which fits Carter like a glove.

Apprenticed to legendary Norton trainer Capt Charles Elsey, Carter rode as an apprentice for the Highfield trainer, winning the 1951 Ebor Handicap on Bob, who, wait, for it, carried a mere 6st12lb to an 8-1 victory.

Closely associated later on with the Whitewall Stables, firstly as a jockey and right-hand man to the late Frank Carr, and subsequently as a trainer, the popular Carter was fittingly guest of honour at Pontefract, where he was the subject of a presentation from his great friend, and former training colleague, Pat Rohan.

Honours in the Ted Carter – A Lifetime In Racing – Fillies’ Handicap fell to the Ann Duffield-trained Hel’s Angel, the mount of Jamie Kyne, who was an appropriate winning rider. Kyne is an apprentice at Highfield, just as Carter was more than half-a-century ago.