Dave Crosse sidelined after suffering a fracture on his first ride of the season

Jump jockey Dave Crosse is facing more than a month on the sidelines after injuring his back in a fall at Southwell on Tuesday.

Crosse was riding Knockmaole Bay for Wiltshire trainer Jean-Rene Auvray when the eight-year-old fell three out in a novice handicap chase.

The 37-year-old said on Thursday: "I've a T4 wedge fracture in my back. It's stable and I'll be off for six weeks.

"Knockmaole Bay was absolutely fine, but I was winded and knew I'd done something. I went to hospital for an x-ray and we didn't know if the fracture was an old one, but Jerry Hill, the BHA's doctor who has been super helpful, got me in for an MRI scan yesterday and I've had the results this morning.

"I'm fine and not in any particular pain, although there's a little there and I can't jump about or whatever. I can take things easy for two weeks and then start swimming and exercising, I'm just not allowed any heavy lifting, running or anything like that.

"I'll be down in Oaksey House using their equipment and I was off for four months because of coronavirus [causing racing's shutdown], so an extra six weeks in the summer won't hurt. Hopefully I've plenty of good horses to ride for Andy Bell and Noel Fehily in the winter."

Crosse, who won the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir on The Bushkeeper at the 2002 Cheltenham Festival, enjoyed his best season in terms of winners in the 2006-7 campaign with 21, but he enjoyed something of a resurgence in 2017-18 with 15.

He is not one for twiddling his thumbs and added: "I've got plenty on – Noel and I are going to France next week to look for horses for his racing club and we've got an open day coming up, while I'll be doing some racecourse hospitality through Zoom, so I won't be sitting on my backside."

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