Jockey Tony Kelly has had back surgery after falling during a handicap chase at Southwell last week, according to a report on the Racing Post.
The jockey had the surgery today morning at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in an attempt to stabilise his back after the fall.
As a result of the fall, Kelly fractured his T7 vertebra and surgery was required to ensure that the effects are reduced as much as possible.
He was three fences from the finish line when he fell off from horse Captain Mowbray, which is trained by Rebecca Menzies.
Menzies said today:
I went to see him last night. He’s flat on his back and frustrated but he’s very, very lucky as it could have been much worse.
A plate and rods are being put in to stabilise his back. He’s got feeling and movement, so it’s very fixable. It was quite a simple fall and he wasn’t knocked out but he landed right on his back. He’s in the best place.
This is Kelly’s eighth season as a jockey and at the moment, there is no expected return date being given as there is a no clear idea of how long it will take him to recover from the injury.
