Crashing fall ends Winston’s hopes of first jockeys’ title
The Irish-born rider, who faces at least two months on the sidelines, was at the top of the table on 98 winners with Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders his closest pursuers.
Winston, 25, was riding Pearl’s A Singer in the Farrans Utilities Maiden Voyage Handicap when the filly appeared to slip on the home bend, sending him crashing through the rails.
Three other horses were brought down in the incident and the rest of the meeting was abandoned due to unsafe ground.
Winston sustained two fractures on his lower jaw and possible fractures on the upper jaw as well.
He was due to undergo an operation in Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock yesterday.
He was described by his agent Richard Hale as being “in a bit of a mess”.
Hale told At The Races: “Dale Gibson and Tom Eaves stopped off and rode work for Jim Goldie this morning and they popped in to see him before they went back to Redcar. His face is all swollen up with the impact.
“I think you are looking at anywhere between two and three months at the quickest to get back and Robert is taking the view that he will take the rest of the year off and try and come back at the turn of the year.
“Whether he rides in Dubai or on the all-weather over here, he’s not going to rush back. He’s got a lot of damage to his teeth and all that will need to be sorted out.
“I have got to thank Neil Callan for his efforts. He stopped Robert trying to get up, which the doctors have said is a good thing.”
Winston was working as hard as possible and had taken only one day off since the start of June in his pursuit of the title.
Hale added: “He’s very chirpy, he never even mentioned the championship. I think he’s just relieved he’s still talking to us because it was a hell of a fall, he got a real bash in the face.
“He could have been left unconscious - it could have been a lot worse.
“You have got to look on the bright side - he will be back for next season and have a go.”
Spencer is now odds-on to be crowned champion.
He had watched the incident unfold on television and described the fall as “horrific”.
“Robert and I go back a long way and it was sickening to watch,” he said. “We were having a great race for the championship and this has really taken the fun out it.
“It was just really horrible but Robert has shown what he can do all season and I’m sure he will be back as good as ever next year.”
William Hill go 4-6 Spencer and 11-10 Sanders.
Gibson, who was one of the other riders involved in the fall, recalled what happened.
He told Racing UK: “It was a tough fall. I was three foot away from him when the incident happened. He hit the deck very hard and then the horses behind him pummelled him into the ground.”
