Ruby Walsh out for a month

mike65

After his fall yesterday Walsh had surgery and will be out for 4 weeks, Sam Thomas will be riding the Nicholls horses meantime.

Mike

Bluetonic

Certainly the best time of the season to be injured.

mike65

Thats one way of looking at it!

Mike

rynners

You know a lot of Jockeys get a lot of stick but these guys never cease to amaze me..

Ruptured spleen... out for a month. Broken this, broken that..back 2 weeks! Was it Maguire who broke his neck and came back within a year? Mind you he broke everything that fella..

These guys are hard as hard men go (and the women too!).

mdwexford

Sam Thomas is obviously rigging Ruby's rides to fall and injure him.

fr wishy washy

RUBY WALSH hopes to return to the saddle in three weeks following surgery to remove his spleen on Saturday night, but he was advised on Sunday by a fellow jockey who has also undergone the operation to resist the temptation to hurry back.

Trainer Paul Nicholls last night reported that Walsh is aiming to get back in time to partner the brilliant Master Minded in the Seasons Holidays Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on December 6.

Walsh had to undergo surgery after being kicked in the stomach and rupturing his spleen in a fall from Pride Of Dulcote in the stayers' handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

On the corresponding day last year, he dislocated a shoulder and was sidelined until Christmas in a horrible fall from Willyandwoody. Sam Thomas, who replaced Walsh at Cheltenham on Sunday, including aboard impressive winner Tatenen, will deputise while Walsh is sidelined.

His rides will include Kauto Star in Saturday's Betfair Chase at Haydock – a race the pair won 12 months ago.

Nicholls spent half an hour withWalsh last night in the high-dependency ward at Cheltenham General Hospital, and found him “in good spirits”.

The trainer said: “He's in a very positive frame of mind. He's his sights set on returning in time to ride Master Minded in the Tingle Creek on December 6 – that's just under three weeks away. Knowing Ruby as I do, he'll be doing everything he has to to be back as soon as possible.

“It's good that he's set a target like that, but a lot will depend on how the muscles heal. At least there were no broken bones. He just took a glancing blow when falling.

“As it happened a year to the day since he got injured last season, I gather the hospital staff greeted his arrival with ‘It's that Ruby Walsh again!'”

Nicholls added: “He'll be moved to a private room shortly, where he is to spend three or four days before returning home to Ireland.
“He's in good spirits and was able to watch the racing on TVand was obviously very impressed by Tatenen.

“Although he'll see the other lads taking over on some nice rides coming up, he'll continue to be involved and will be advising and helping them when he can.”

Thomas said his thoughts were with his weighing-room colleague, but that he had one eye on riding a number of Nicholls' stars.

He said on Sunday: “My thoughts are obviously with Ruby, but it would be stupid to say I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks. I'm going to make the most of it and I now just want to stay in one piece.

“Because of last year, I've been there and done it, and that will help. I won the Betfair Chase on Kauto Star last year, and I'm looking forward to us defending our title.”

Flat jockey Dale Gibson underwent identical surgery to Walsh following a fall at Beverley, and although he had the added complication of broken ribs, he was out of the saddle for five months.

He said: “Hopefully, Ruby will not be out for too long and I wish him a speedy recovery, but from my experience I would suggest he takes things very steadily. There tends to be a fair degree of muscle wastage around the stomach following the operation, and that takes time to build up again.”

He added: “Like Ruby, I was super-fit but it knocked meback far more than I'd anticipated. I'd guess he will lose up to a stone. I've had to take penicillin every day since to prevent infection.”

Although a more common injury for skiers, several jockeys, including Paul Carberry, Brendan Powell and ThierryJarnet, have had their spleens removed following a heavy blow to the stomach.

Dr Walter Halley, a Turf Club medical officer, said there is no mandatory period for a jockey licensed in Ireland to be out of action followingstomach surgery. “As far as Ruby in concerned, we'll be taking advice from the surgeon who performed the operation,” he said

ibanez777vbk

out for 4 weeks more like 4 months.paul carbury also had his spleen removed due to a fall he was out 4 months.my gf is a nurse and she recons he will be out of action 6 months