Bryan Carver set to return after three-month layoff following 'freak accident'

Nearly 100 days after Bryan Carver was thrown from Kubinski on the way to the start for a Newton Abbot bumper and fractured his T7 vertebrae, the young rider is ready to return to the saddle at Chepstow on Friday.

While Carver was taken to hospital his last-minute replacement Mitchell Bastyan steered the Chris Honour-trained odds-on favourite to success but although he missed out on a winner Carver is all too aware it could have been far more serious.

He said: "It was just a freak accident. It should have been a soft enough fall but because the ground was quite quick it was just unfortunate the way I landed meant I managed to fracture it.

"I was lucky I didn't need an operation. At first there was nothing found on my x-rays and it wasn't until Jerry Hill, the BHA doctor, made me get a CT scan that two fractures showed up."

The 23-year-old, who is no stranger to injury setbacks, said: "I've done four collarbones, my tibia and fibula, two wrists and now vertebrae as well.

"It's never easy being out injured. I was on six winners for the season and on a good run of things. Gary [Hanmer] was running plenty of horses and they were running well. There were a handful of horses who I probably missed out on, but if it was ever going to happen it was the right time of the season."

Carver spent much of his recovery at Oaksey House in Lambourn and he said: "They're brilliant at Oaksey House. You are pushed and they do physically test you, which is very good. I'm bang on three months to return to ride basically and without them I'd be looking at an awful lot longer."

Bryan Carver: looking to guide Grumpy Charley to a fourth win at Chepstow on SaturdayCredit: Pool

He returns in the Grade 2 Unibet Persian War Novices' Hurdle (2.45) aboard Honour's Tile Tapper, who was third in last season's Tolworth.

Carver, who is conditional jockey to Paul Nicholls, is looking to build on last season's career-best effort when he was second in the conditionals' championship behind Danny McMenamin.

"Last season I had 34 winners and that was brilliant but I had a few little niggles and knocks along the way," said Carver. "I've got eight winners left in the claim and the aim would be to ride that out as soon as we possibly can."

Carver's 67 wins under rules have come for 23 different trainers, emphasising he is a jockey in demand. He said: "I am lucky that I ride for a good few trainers. I try to get myself around a little bit. Paul Nicholls, Ben Case, Chris Honour and Harry Fry are all brilliant to me."

Carver has been schooling the likes of Case's Shanty Alley, who he rode to victory twice last season, and Honour's Grumpy Charley, who notched a hat-trick at Chepstow over hurdles and returns for his chasing debut in Listed company (3.00) on Saturday.

He added: "You need those type of horses. Supporters like Ben and Chris, and the owners are brilliant. Those are the horses you want to be getting on on a Saturday.

"It's only the last few days I've got back schooling them and that's when you get the real buzz again."

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