WAGGA jockey Nick Heywood hopes to be back in the saddle within the next two months after suffering a fractured collarbone and possible fractured ribs in a race fall at Albury on Friday.
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Heywood's mount Barramundi Lad, who started the equal $2.30 favourite in the meeting's opening race, clipped heels with a rival and fell during the 1175m, five-horse maiden.
Heywood expects to be out six to eight weeks after hurting his collarbone, and will know more about the extent of his ribs issue on Monday.
"I've got to get more x-rays tomorrow (Monday) so I'll know more by then, but it's a small fracture to the collarbone at the moment and my ribs are either badly bruised or fractured," he said.
"We were racing pretty tight coming into a corner. I went to come back and sit off the leaders at the 900m mark where it shoots you off the corner, and the horse didn't take that corner well.
"With jockeys it takes a little longer for bones to heal. A normal person eats a lot better than a jockey who is wasting all the time."
It's poor timing for the in-form hoop, who has secured 11 wins from his last 51 rides and was looking forward to a strong showing at this weekend's Snake Gully Cup carnival at Gundagai-Adelong Race Club.
"I had a couple of nice rides teed up. I think I had (Ron Stubbs-trained) Spunlago in the cup and I was meant to trial it at Albury before I got injured.
"Yes and no (I've been happy with my form), it can always be better. I've been working pretty hard at home doing those one per centers."
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