McGrath fractures arm and faces operation after Cheltenham fall

Jerry McGrath will undergo an operation on Wednesday after breaking his left arm in a fall at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Riding for his boss Nicky Henderson, McGrath suffered the injury in a first-fence fall from Theinval in the BetVictor Gold Cup, although the full extent of the damage was not obvious to begin with.

The 26-year-old even managed to ride later on the same card but further investigation since has revealed a fracture to his left radius and potential damage to his left wrist.

“I was sore after the fall but I didn’t think there was anything too serious, but by the time I got home on Saturday night I knew I was in trouble,” said McGrath.

He added: “I’ve fractured the radius so I’ll be getting screws and a plate fitted on Wednesday. It’s one fracture but they’re worried about some damage around the wrist, but they won’t be able to tell anymore before they take a look at it.”

McGrath, whose big-race wins include the 2012 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle on Une Artiste and last season’s Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle on Constantine Bay, already has Boxing Day in mind for a return to action, with plenty of ammunition from Henderson’s yard to look forward to.

He said: “It depends on any ligament damage to the wrist but the plan at the moment is to be back for Boxing Day.

"There’s no good time to be injured but it’s probably the worse possible time as Nicky’s horses are only just hitting top form and the better horses are starting to come out. I’ll be missing a lot but that’s the way things are."

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