'Nightmare' for Villiers as he faces two months out after a fall from his bike

Jockey Angus Villiers has suffered a serious setback to his apprentice title hopes after his second fall in the space of seven months, although this time it was from a bike.

Attached to Richard Spencer's Newmarket yard, Villiers, who has ridden 11 winners this year, is not long back from the nasty fall he suffered after clipping heels at Wolverhampton last November in which he punctured his liver and bruised a lung.

Seven months on, the 5lb claimer is now out for up to a further eight weeks after going over the handlebars of his mountain bike on the roads around Newmarket last Sunday and fracturing his shoulder.

The 19-year-old said: "It was a nice sunny day last Sunday so I thought I'd go on a bike ride to keep fit, but unfortunately the worst thing happened. I hit a pothole in the road and went over the handlebars.

"My shoulder didn't feel right afterwards so I got taken to hospital in Bury St Edmunds where I had it x-rayed and the nurse said it was fractured. It's a bit of a nightmare and it looks like I'll miss the middle part of the season and won't be able to challenge for the title this year."

He added: "It couldn't have come at a worse time as I was trying to get a push going for the apprentice title and was riding for plenty of different trainers.

"Thankfully, the Rebel racing team of Richard Spencer and Phil Cunningham have been great about it. I've been doing things when I can in the yard since, but it's hard to take."

Angus Villiers career details

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