McCoy suffers broken thumb

Tony McCoy could be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after breaking his right thumb at Folkestone today.

McCoy was adjusting his reins on Flying Patriarch at the start of the Daily Mail Juvenile Maiden Hurdle when the Gary Moore-trained gelding spooked at another horse coming past and threw him out of the saddle.

He caught his thumb in the reins and course doctor Peter Magauran diagnosed the freak injury as a fracture.

The champion jockey was taken to Ridgeway Hospital, Swindon, to have X-rays and to have the injury looked at by specialist Michael Foy.

Moore said: “Another horse flashed past Flying Patriarch and upset him. It was one of those accidents that can happen.

“From experience I would say it could take some time for it to knit, but knowing Tony I wouldn’t put it past him to be back within a week.”