McCoy confident of making Cheltenham Festival

TONY McCOY broke his cheekbone in three places in a fall at Plumpton yesterday, but is still confident of making the Cheltenham Festival in just over four weeks’ time.

The champion jockey was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath for X-rays which confirmed the damage, and was later allowed to go home.

His personal assistant, Gee Armytage, said: “He has fractured his left cheekbone in three places and he is on his way home. He will be seeing a maxillofacial surgeon in the morning. “He hopes to be back riding as soon as Dr Turner (the Jockey Club’s chief medical adviser) will allow, in the very near future.”

She added that McCoy does not expect to have to miss the Cheltenham Festival, which begins on March 16.

Having arrived at Plumpton with high hopes of success from six fancied rides, McCoy endured two bone-crunching falls and on the second occasion was kicked in the face.

The incident happened when Polar Red crashed out at the second fence in the Tyser Insurance Ltd Novices’ Chase.

McCoy was already due to sit out the action today with a one-day suspension for a whip offence picked up at Hereford earlier in the month.

How soon he can return will depend on the seriousness of the fracture. Jockey Club spokesman John Maxse said: “Dr (Michael) Turner says that provided the fracture is towards the lower end of the scale, it should not be a problem for him to return in time for Cheltenham.

“However, the nature of these injuries can vary substantially.

“He would not be allowed to ride with any kind of protective mask.”

How soon he can return will depend on the seriousness of the fracture, with the potential for a lay-off of just days or much longer.

Although he is unlikely to miss Cheltenham, the injury could make the jockeys’ championship more interesting, with Richard Johnson just seven winners in arrears at present. By the time McCoy gave up his ride in the last, punters who had come to the course to back all his mounts had already left for home with empty pockets.

Biggest disappointment was Smurfit Champion Hurdle entry Flying Wanda, who came to the racecourse as potentially the classiest horse on show, having top-notch Flat form to her credit.

But her debut over jumps did not go to plan.

Despite travelling strongly under McCoy, she faded in the final stages of the Jonathan Higgins 50th Birthday Mares’ Only Novices’ Hurdle to finish well beaten behind 16-1 shot Lady Harriet.