Byrne hospitalised with broken ribs in saddling box incident

Former champion conditional Derek Byrne, Eve Johnson Houghton's assistant trainer, is recovering in Slough hospital after a saddling box accident at Windsor on Monday evening.

Byrne was helping Johnson Houghton saddle newcomer Downtown Mombasa for the first race of the meeting when the filly plunged forward and slammed him into the wall of the saddling box.

Johnson Houghton said: "The filly just lost her nerve, lunged forward and caught Derek with her shoulder and he has a few broken ribs.

"They kept him in hospital overnight to give him pain relief and are just worried about him getting pneumonia, but he should be home on Tuesday or Wednesday and he won't be riding out for four to six weeks."

While Byrne, who has worked for Mick Channon and Dennis Coakley before joining the Blewbury stable, was being taken to hospital the debuting filly finished an encouraging third at 20-1 in her 6f maiden.

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