Nasty fall puts jockey star Brenton Avdulla on the sidelines for at least six weeks

Star jockey Brenton Avdulla is set to miss most of the Sydney spring carnival as he recovers from a neck fracture sustained in a horror fall at Royal Randwick last Saturday.

Avdulla suffered an undisplaced fracture of his C7 vertebrae in the base of his neck and a small bleed on the brain after the ill-fated Xtremetime fell near the finish of the Silver Shadow Stakes won by Swift Witness.

After spending two nights in hospital, Avdulla was allowed to return home on Monday but is confronted by an extended period of convalescence before he can make a comeback to race riding.

Avdulla told The Daily Telegraph he needs to wear a neck brace for a minimum of six weeks before doctors reassess his injury.

Brenton Avdulla, winning the Randwick Guineas on Lion’s Roar, will miss most of the Spring carnival. Picture: Grant GuySource:The Daily Telegraph

Despite the seriousness of his injury, Avdulla remains in good spirits and took to social media to thank everyone for their messages of support.

Racing NSW stewards are preparing to continue their inquiry into the Silver Shadow Stakes fall at the Kensington race meeting on Wednesday.

Avdulla is expected to give evidence via teleconference with Racing NSW chief steward Marc Van Gestel confirming at least two other jockeys who rode in the Silver Shadow Stakes, Tommy Berry (Jamaea) and Tim Clark (Swift Witness) will also be questioned by stewards.

Berry is due to partner Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside in his new season return, the Group 3 $160,000 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

The feature three-year-old sprint is shaping as an enthralling contest with 11 quality entries including Group 1 winners Captivant and Sword Of State, brilliant The Rosebud winner Paulele, boom colt Remarque and promising three-year-olds Shaquero, Mazu, Maotai, In The Congo, Kalashnikov and Gleneagles.

Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside resumes in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes at Kembla on Saturday. Picture: Grant GuySource:The Daily Telegraph

Stay Inside is the early TAB Fixed Odds favourite at $2.30 to become the first to complete the Golden Slipper-San Domenico Stakes double since Tierce 30 years ago.

Paulele and Remarque are on the second line of betting at $4 with The Rosebud runner-up In The Congo and Sword Of State, New Zealand’s champion two-year-old last season, at $11.

With Rosehill Gardens in a lockdown zone, the San Domenico Stakes meeting was transferred to Kembla Grange but there is a bumper 207 entries for the 10-race program.

They include 18 nominations for the Group 3 $160,000 Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m) with the Chris Waller-trained Coastwatch early favourite at $4.50 ahead of Alpine Edge and Subterranean at $6.

■ The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Wild Ruler edged out Adelong and Godolphin’s Trekking in a Hawkesbury barrier trial over 900m on Monday.

Trekking (far right) finishing third to Yes Yes Yes in the 2019 The TAB Everest is being aimed for a third shot at the race. Picture: AAP ImageSource:AAP

Wild Ruler provided a timely reminder of his sprinting talent winning the heat with connections hopeful the four-year-old can earn a slot in the $15 million The TAB Everest this spring.

Trekking has twice made The Everest field, finishing third to Yes Yes Yes in 2019 and fourth behind Classique Legend last year and Godolphin are aiming the veteran sprinter at the world’s richest turf race.

Nature Strip, the early Everest favourite at $5, will have a barrier trial hitout at Rosehill Gardens on Tuesday morning ahead of his scheduled return to racing in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Royal Randwick on September 4.

The Team Hawkes-trained Masked Crusader, who has an Everest slot alongside the likes of Nature Strip, has been nominated for The Heath (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

■ Jockey Rachel King, who was involved in a separate fall on Brandenburg in the Winx Stakes last Saturday, fortunately escaped serious injury and has four rides at Wednesday’s Kensington meeting.

Originally published asAvdulla to miss most of Sydney spring carnival

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