Further tests for McCoy

Tony McCoy remained in hospital this evening for further tests after his fall at Taunton on Friday.

McCoy suffered fractured ribs in the spill at the Somerset track, the latest in a long line of recent heavy falls for the perennial champion jockey.

McCoy was riding the Nicky Henderson-trained Laudatory, who came to grief at the last in the Steve Logan Memorial County Contractors Handicap Hurdle.

His personal assistant Gee Armytage confirmed: “He is staying in tonight, they are just doing a few further tests to exclude any further injury. Hopefully he will be out tomorrow. He has a couple of broken ribs, but was more comfortable today.”

McCoy had said in his Daily Telegraph column that he hoped to be back riding “in days rather than weeks” although he conceded that his chances of riding a record 300 winners in a season had effectively gone.

He said: “I have had quite a few heavy falls lately and was hanging together with stitches and sticking plaster while some bits were stuck on with glue.

“But after going over Laudatory’s head at the last in the handicap hurdle and then physically bringing him down myself – it felt like he had more feet than a centipede – it was the final straw.

“At least I haven’t punctured a lung or anything like that and I am thinking of being out for days rather than weeks, but this has knocked on the head any chance I had of riding 300 winners this season or even beating my previous best of 289. For that I needed a clear run with injuries, suspensions and the weather.

“Once I am comfortable my main focus will be getting back in the saddle as soon as reasonably possible and doing anything I can to speed up the healing process.”