Culloty pencils in return date

Jim Culloty hopes to be back in the saddle at the end of next week after being sidelined with a thumb injury for the past six weeks.

The 30-year-old broke a bone in his thumb when he was trodden on by a horse in a fall at Exeter at the start of November.

“I’ll ride out on Monday morning, then I’ve got an appointment with the physio on Monday afternoon and I’ll get a special brace to put on it. Hopefully I’ll be racing at the end of the week,” Culloty told Racing UK today.

“I had a pin in it for a month, which was very awkward, and I had to be very careful with that, but now that’s come out it’s eased a lot of pressure on the thumb itself and in the last week it’s come on leaps and bounds.”

Culloty is famous for his partnership with Henrietta Knight’s star chaser Best Mate, but his injury meant he missed the nine-year-old’s successful reappearance in the William Hill Chase at Exeter last month.

He is, though, looking forward to being reunited with the triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner on the track over Christmas.

The Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28, which Best Mate won last year, is the preferred option, but Culloty believes he could be re-routed to Kempton for the Stan James King George VI Chase, which he won two years ago, if the ground in Ireland was unsuitable.

“I haven’t spoken to Henrietta or Jim Lewis (owner) but the King George would be an option if it came up heavy ground at Leopardstown,” he added.

“He would have to run somewhere over Christmas and the weather and the ground will decide where he goes.”