Dane O'Neill 'optimistic but realistic' as serious injuries threaten to cut career short

Dane O'Neill, injured in a horror all-weather fall at Wolverhampton in July, is keeping everything crossed he can return to the saddle but admitted that is far from certain.

O'Neill, a Group 1-winning rider retained by Shadwell as their second jockey behind Jim Crowley, fell from Eagle Eyed Tom in a race that was subsequently voided and broke seven ribs and the T6 vertebra. He had targeted an October return, but the injury to his vertebra has not healed as he would have anticipated.

The jockey, a senior figure of the Flat weighing room in Britain who has also enjoyed fruitful winter campaigns in Dubai, said: "Things aren't going very well, I'm afraid. I had a scan about a month ago and it's just not healing anywhere near where we need to come back to ride. We've got to wait for that to heal and I'm due another CT scan at the end of January and we'll know more then.