'This is such a good step for us' - new Taunton hub opened by Injured Jockeys Fund

A cluster of racing's big names were present to see Princess Anne open the Injured Jockeys Fund's newest facility on Thursday at Taunton Rugby Club. Sir Anthony McCoy, Ed Chamberlin, Brough Scott and Tom Scudamore were on hand to show the Princess around the site, which brings the IJF's many services to the heart of the busy racing community in the south west.

While the Taunton hub is not on the same scale as the rehab centres maintained by the IJF in Lambourn, Newmarket and Malton, it includes a treatment room for physiotherapy, a gym and an Equicizer. The site has become increasingly popular with local jockeys following a soft launch at the start of the core jumps season.

"This is such a good step for us at the IJF," said Chamberlin, a vice-chairman of the charity in addition to being the frontman for ITV Racing. "We all know what a hotbed this part of the country is, particularly for jumps racing.

"The support we've had and the pick-up from jockeys has been excellent. This is a real step in the right direction."

Among those making good use of the facility when the Princess Royal arrived was Tom O'Brien, who hopes to be back in action by the Grand National meeting in a fortnight's time, having suffered a dislocated shoulder in February. He estimated his prospect of meeting that target as "50-50" but feels the Taunton hub is at least helping him to maximise his chance.

"It's coming along," O'Brien said. "The ligaments can be quite slow.

"I plan to sit on a horse next week and see how it feels, and if I can't be at my best then I won't push it." Gesturing to a physiotherapist and a strength and conditioning coach, the jockey added: "I've been plaguing these lads for the last couple of weeks, every day. We're very lucky to have this.

"To go from a busy racing schedule to having to work on your own would be very hard, but this is so close by and they're great lads to work with.

"Oaksey House in Lambourn would be 90 minutes in each direction. This is 15. There are a lot of jockeys in the area and it seems to be very popular and very well used."

Rex Dingle, lifting weights in the next room, said: "It's a great help. It's good for injury prevention and rehab and something I'll definitely be using going forward.

"Any little niggle you might have had from previous injuries, you're not just sweeping it under the carpet, you're dealing with it. When I turned conditional five years ago I was crying out for something like this."

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