Injured jockey James Halliday hopes treatment will give a festive boost

4:18pm Wednesday 25th November 2009

By Tom O'Ryan

One of Ryedale’s most promising young riders is hoping a visit for treatment to Oaksey House, the Injured Jockeys’ Fund new flagship facility in Lambourn, will help him return to action in time for the Christmas period.

James Halliday has already been sidelined for a month following a fall at Towcester in which he dislodged his right kneecap, sprained his left ankle and suffered a rib injury.

Originally, he had hoped to be back riding in about three weeks, but he is still walking with the aid of a stick and is frustrated at the slow rate of improvement.

“It’s my knee that is the problem; it is a very complex and delicate joint. I’ve already been off a month and it’s looking like it could be another month before I’m fit,” said the talented 5lb claimer, who is attached to Malcolm Jefferson’s Norton stable.

Oaksey House, which was opened by the Princess Royal a couple of months ago, is a £5million residential and rehabilitation centre, set up by the Injured Jockeys’ Fund for jockeys past and present and for use by the current racing workforce.

“I’m going there this week, on Wednesday, and I may stay down there for a week,” said Halliday. “I am hoping that some physio will help me and speed up my progress.”

Halliday, who began to come to the fore last season, has made great strides in the last 12 months and, earlier this season, he bagged his 20th career win to reduce his riding allowance from 7lb.

“The way things can go with falls and injuries, I suppose I’ve been lucky,” he added. “It just doesn’t feel like it at the moment. I just want to be back riding.”

• A new apprentice scholarship has been launched by Beverley racecourse in memory of Jan Wilson and Jamie Kyne, who tragically lost their lives in the Norton flats fire in early September.

The Kyne Wilson Scholarship will be confined to Yorkshire-based apprentices and, with the selection process already underway, the lucky beneficiary is set to receive a whole package of benefits throughout the 2010 season.

Not only will Beverley Racecourse sponsor the young rider for one year – with racecourse branding appearing on breeches and colours – but the scheme will encompass expert guidance on fitness, improving confidence and helping to source on-course sponsorship, not to mention being equipped with top-of-the-range riding gear.

Wendy Hoggard, of White Rose Saddlery in Norton, has agreed to provide the necessary equipment, while Sarah O’Meara, wife of former jump jockey David O’Meara, will work with the winner in her capacity as a personal fitness trainer.

There will also be access to a sports psycologist, while the racecourse will use their expertise to enable the apprentice to secure ongoing sponsorship once the period of the scholarship, which has the blessing of Jan and Jamie’s parents, ceases.

Sally Iggulden, Beverley Racecourse manager, said: “Staff at the racecourse and regular racegoers to Beverley were shocked and saddened by the tragic events that took Jan and Jamie back in September.

“We wanted to do something to celebrate their lives and it was felt a scholarship which provided support and guidance to young jockeys would be a fitting tribute to them both.

“We are delighted both families thought this was a good idea, and the scholarship would be a wonderful way of remembering two young riders who many believe would have gone on to make their mark in the sport of racing.”

Iggulden added: “Jamie was a regular rider at Beverley, achieving his first double here and riding his last winner on Duchess Dora. Jan rode her first placed horse here, when riding Bed Fellow into fourth as an amateur rider in September 2008.”

The first winner of the Kyne Wilson Scholarship will be announced early next month.

“The selection process hopes to identify a keen apprentice who has already shown a level of dedication to the sport, and to whom the advantages of the scheme will be readily used to help progress their career,” said Iggulden.

• Character Building, one of the Gazette & Herald’s “Ten to Follow” this season, is set to miss the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.

It is felt the race has come a little too soon for the talented gelding, who won last season’s Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, only to fall foul of a stone bruise which cost him his chance of following up in the Grand National.

Trainer John Quinn said: “He will be entered in all the other good chases. He does have better form in the spring and he doesn’t want bottomless ground, so we won’t be over-working him this side of Christmas.”

The Grand National will again be on the agenda of Character Building. Quinn added: “Come the spring, he will be entered in all the Nationals, English, Irish and Scottish.”

• Ollie Pears has pencilled in a Christmas date at Wetherby for My Arch, who provided the Norton trainer with his biggest success when winning a valuable handicap chase at Musselburgh last Sunday.

Partnered by Brian Hughes, who had earlier scored on the Richard Fahey-trained Mesbaah, My Arch, who was making his chasing debut, did his job in style, winning by seven lengths at odds of 9-1.

Pears said: “He’s had back trouble, but he ran well on the Flat and has been waiting for a while to run over jumps. He’ll probably go to Wetherby on Boxing Day.”

• Mick Easterby has his horses in fine form, and, after sending out Shadows Lengthen to win twice last week in five days, the canny Sheriff Hutton handler followed up with an all-weather double on Saturday.

Desert Vision, blinkered for the first time, needed all of Robert Winston’s considerable assistance to win by a head at 7-2 at Wolverhampton, while at Kempton, Istiqdaam, a well-backed 5-2 favourite, won with something to spare under Phil Makin.

• Last week’s Go Racing In Yorkshire Awards Lunch saw familiar names among the prize winners, courtesy of sponsors Sky Bet.

Richard Fahey, with a massive 70 winners in the county, was the leading trainer for the second successive year, while Paul Hanagan took the leading jockey award for the third successive year with 42 winners.

The Go Racing In Yorkshire award was won, for the second successive year, by Borderlescott, the dual-Nunthorpe Stakes winner, who is trained at Cowthorpe, near Wetherby, by Robin Bastiman.

• And finally, it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good, as Andrew Tinkler found out to his delight at Ascot last weekend when, standing in for the suspended Barry Geraghty, he notched a hugely-prestigious victory in the showpiece Grade 1 event.

Malton-born Tinkler teamed up with the unbeaten Zaynar in the £100,000 Coral Ascot Hurdle and rode the four-year-old to a stylish six-lengths success on behalf of his long-time boss, Nicky Henderson.

Zaynar’s success saw his odds slashed for the Champion Hurdle. He is down to 6-1 from 12-1 for a race in which Henderson saddles two other outstanding horses in Binocular, the ante-post favourite, and last year’s winner, Punjabi.