Sam Thomas and Woolcombe Folly (right) in a schooling session with Tony McCoy and Chapoturgeon moments before the fall

  PICTURE: Edward Whitaker/racingpostpix.com 

Thomas misses festival with cracked vertebra

TOM GEORGE confirmed on Thursday evening that his stable jockey Sam Thomas will miss the Cheltenham Festival.

The jockey was airlifted to hospital early on Thursday morning following a bad fall when schooling on Paul Nicholls' gallops. He suffered a hairline crack in a vertebra in his neck but was released from Royal United Hospital in Bath 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. 

The trainer immediately summoned an air ambulance, which landed on the grass schoolinggallop above Ditcheat village ten minutes later. It took almost half an hour to stabilise the jockey, who never lost consciousness, before he could be rushed to hospital.

Sam Thomas: "no luck"

  PICTURE: Mark Cranham  

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.

"The most important thing is Sam is walking and talking and breathing, and moving his hands and his feet, and he'll be all right."

Paddy Brennan is expected to replace Thomas on the majority of George's runners, including Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle favourite Tell Massini.

George added: "PaddyBrennan 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."

Thomas was due to partner Tricky Trickster in the Gold Cup, but Barry Geraghty, who was on standby for Nicholls, is expected to step in for the ride.

Nicholls said that Woolcombe Folly had emerged unscathed from the fall and he intends schooling the horse again on Friday morning before deciding whether he'll be declared for the Arkle.

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