Sam Thomas Misses Cheltenham

Getting injured when you’re a jockey is never a good thing but you have to feel for Sam Thomas who is going to miss the Cheltenham Festival this year due to a cracked vertebra. Thomas is stable jockey for Tom George and it was he who confirmed it today that Thomas is definitely out.

The incident that caused his injury took place on Paul Nicholls gallops when Thomas had a bad fall which resulted in him being air lifted to Royal United Hospital in Bath, from which he was later released on Thursday evening.

Thomas, who was riding Nicholls’ Arkle hope Woolcombe Folly in a schooling session with Chapoturgeon, partnered by Tony McCoy, fell heavily at the last of six fences. It took almost half an hour to stabilise the jockey, who never lost consciousness, before he could be rushed to hospital.

George told racingpost.com: “I have spoken to Sam’s father, who is with him, and he is basically fine, but he has a small crack in a vertebra in his neck. Hopefully it will heal quickly, I don’t know how long that will take, but he will definitely miss Cheltenham next week.”

Thomas is in a stable condition and does not appear to have any problems walking and talking and breathing. He is moving his hands and his feet, and the prognosis is looking good.

HIs replacement jockey for Cheltenham is expected to be Paddy Brennan, who is tipped to be jockey of the Festival, after Ruby Walsh, and will partner the majority of George’s runners, including Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle favourite Tell Massini.

George added: “Paddy Brennan comes in here once a week, riding out and schooling, he knows the horses well, and he’ll have first shout on the horses I am running at the Festival, and he’ll ride anything he’s available for. Paddy won on Olofi last time, and he won on Tell Massini last time, unfortunately for Sam. You have to feel for Sam, who has had no bloody luck at all.”

The biggest upset for Thomas has got to be missing out on his Gold Cup ride on Tricky Trickster who has a real shot at winning, despite the pundits believing that it’s a two horse race between Kauto Star and Denman, but it’s now Barry Geraghty, who was on standby for Nicholls, who is expected to step in for the ride.