'Steamrollered' Finian O'Toole suffers fractured pelvis in Kelso fall

Jockey Finian O'Toole could face an operation, having been airlifted to hospital following a heavy fall at Kelso on Saturday.

The conditional fell four fences from home on One Night In Milan in the 2m5f hurdle contest and was hit by the following King Leon, who was brought down.

"He seemed okay from the fall but the other horse steamrollered him," O'Toole's boss Micky Hammond said on Sunday.

"He's in hospital and I think they're going to operate on his pelvis, he's fractured both sides of it, and he has a problem with his bladder. It sounds very painful."

Watch Finian O'Toole win on One Night In Milan at Kelso last month

The rider is originally from County Galway and Hammond said: "His father was flying across today from Ireland. I said to Fin this morning 'you won't believe how popular a lad you are' – everybody holds him in such high regard as a person."

O'Toole, who has been with Hammond since 2015, has ridden double-figure tallies of winners over the last three seasons and was on six for 2018-19 at the time of his fall.

"It's unfortunate as he was working away well," Hammond said. "He was riding out here and for Keith Dalgleish and for Sharon Watt. The season hasn't really got going yet because of the quicker ground but he was tipping along nicely."

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