Bad fall shatters Sam's racing dream (From South Wales Argus)

Bad fall shatters Sam's racing dream

5:40pm Sunday 14th March 2010 in Gwent news By Chris Wood, Reporter

ABERGAVENNY jockey Sam Thomas’ dream of lifting a second Cheltenham Gold Cup are over for this year at least, after he fractured a vertabrae in a fall.

Llanvetherine-raised Mr Thomas was air-lifted to the Bath Royal United Hospital on Thursday morning with suspected neck and back injuries. The fall is expected to keep him out of action for around six weeks.

The 25 year old was galloping on horse Woolcombe Folly, when he fell at Paul Nicholls’ stables, Somerset at 9am.

He was hurt, but conscious at the time and able to move his hands and feet. Mr Thomas spent the day undergoing X-rays at the hospital and was discharged to return to his Gloucestershire home at around 6.30pm.

A spokeswoman for the stables said the x-rays revealed a hairline fracture in a spinal vertabrae.

She said: “It is a stable fracture and will keep him out for a little while. There is no permanent damage, which is good news, but as for the Gold Cup, he’ll definitely miss that as it will take around six weeks to heal.”

Mr Thomas spends a couple of days a month training horses at Paul Nicholls’ stables, but is based permanently with trainer Tom George in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

He won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2008 on Denham and was due to ride in this year’s race on Tricky Trickster.

The Gold Cup has a total prize fund of £475,000 and the odds on Tricky Trickster winning had dropped from 33-1 to 16-1 before the fall with some pundits making him one of the favourites for the Aintree Grand National.

Mr Thomas has had a successful career to date and enjoyed his first victory in 2007 when he won the Betfair Chase on Kauto Star.