Davies down to earth with a bump after Chepstow winner

There is no feeling like a winner, so they say, but James Davies was in a world of pain after scoring on Redbridge Miller at Chepstow on Friday night.

Having crossed the line a head to the good in the 2m3½f handicap hurdle, Davies was shot over Redbridge Miller’s head when the horse stopped abruptly, the subsequent crash landing leaving the rider with a fractured right foot and facing up to five weeks on the sidelines.

“I think the horse must have trod on a shoe or in a hole and completely stopped,” explained Davies. “From a canter he stopped and flung me over his head.

"I landed awkwardly on my foot and, having had it x-rayed last night, unfortunately I’ve fractured it.”

Desperate to ensure his 22nd winner of the season counted, Davies enlisted the help of the ambulance crew to hoist him onto the scales to weigh in before leaving for hospital.

He added: “They said I could be out for four to five weeks depending on how it heals. There’s never a great time but I just wish it had happened in a month’s time, as some of my trainers still have horses to run in May, but hopefully it won’t be too long until I’m back.”

To make matters worse, Davies missed the winning ride on Burrenbridge Hotel in the 2m maiden hurdle later on the card.