Sam James to miss Kempton rides as he recovers from heavy fall at Ascot on Friday

Sam James is set for a short spell on the sidelines after a heavy fall at Ascot and will miss his rides at Kempton on Saturday.

The Group 1-winning jockey was involved in a serious incident in the concluding 7f handicap on Friday, when the Dominic Ffrench Davis-trained Excellent Echo fell before bringing down James's mount Nordic Norm.

Excellent Echo suffered a fatal injury, while the Karl Burke-trained Nordic Norm suffered superficial cuts and scratches and was assessed before returning home.

James was treated by medics on the track and was transferred to hospital before being discharged.

His agent Wilson Renwick said on Saturday: "He's doing well. He had a CT scan last night to check on a few things but thankfully there were no breaks. There were no fractures, but he was knocked out.

"Unfortunately he won't be able to ride until he has a concussion test, so he'll probably be off for a week or two. We'll see how he is over the next few days before we get the test done, but we'll try to be back for the Ayr Gold Cup meeting."

James, who rode Poptronic to victory in the 2023 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, misses three rides at Kempton on Saturday, when he was due to partner Sir Paul Ramsey, Mayaada and Federated.

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