Ben Curtis targeting March return following second operation

Ben Curtis is looking forward to being without pain and returning to riding next March after undergoing a second operation in a fortnight.

The jockey, who finished seventh in the Flat jockeys' championship, is back home after an invasive procedure on the tendons and ligaments in his feet, just 12 days after a shoulder operation.

Curtis, who stopped riding in October after recording 123 winners from 815 rides in 2021, said: "I got to a point where I said I'm going to have to take some time off and get myself sorted.

"It's a hard enough job but when you're waking up every morning in pain – you can put up with it for so long but eventually it starts to wear on you.

"If everything works out perfectly I should be pain-free and I'm really looking forward to getting back. I've also had a nice break away from it and it's always good to give yourself a break."

His latest operation was particularly painful, and Curtis said: "It went well. Over time my feet became displaced and the toes have curled up. So they've sliced them down the middle, put pins in all my toes and removed a bit of bone from the big toes and stapled them back so they'll straighten up."

Back home with his wife and children for Christmas, the jockey added: "It's painful but they advise you to try and have a bit of a walk round on your heels. I hope I'm going to get the pins out in about five weeks and then I'll crack on with rehab in the hope of being back for the second week of March.

"I had my shoulder done 12 days ago and that went fantastically. I'll mainly be on my backside for most of Christmas and I'm lucky because I'm in a wheelchair, as I can't use crutches having had my shoulder done, so I'll be mobile."

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Ben Curtis to undergo shoulder and feet operations and miss rest of year

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