McCoy seeks top specialist advice

Tony McCoy will seek the assistance of two pre-eminent spinal specialists today as he seeks to return to the racetrack as soon as possible following his fall at Warwick.

The 12-times champion suffered a back injury after he parted company with Arnold Layne in the totesport.com Classic Chase on Saturday, a fall which prompted fears he could miss the Cheltenham Festival in March.

However, initial prognosis from doctors at the University Hospital Walsgrave in Coventry was reasonably positive in that he could be back in around six weeks.

His personal assistant Gee Bradburne said last night: “He is on his way to Nuffield Hospital in Oxford and he is then going to be under the care of the two top spinal doctors in the country, being James Wilson-McDonald and Jeremy Fairbank.

“Mr Fairbank is the man Mick Fitzgerald speaks highly of and is the one who got him back on the racetrack after his very bad neck injury.

“He will basically know more after the specialists have seen him.”

With 132 winners already on the board this season McCoy is 55 clear of his nearest pursuer, Graham Lee.