'We're pretty much there' - Harry Bannister eyes return after dislocating hip

Harry Bannister, absent from the saddle since a nasty fall in October left him with a dislocated hip, intends to sit on a horse for the first time since the accident in the coming days and hopes to be back race-riding by the end of the month.

Bannister, who had his best season of winners and prize-money last term, had been eager to build on that success this winter, but a spill from Godrevy Point in a handicap chase at Stratford resulted in an unplanned layoff.

However, the jump jockey, who underwent multiple surgeries, sees an end in sight and said on Monday: "We're pretty much there. I've got a scan in two weeks and if that goes well, I won't be far off.

"I'm hopefully going to ride out in the next week or so. The doctors and those involved have said the recovery has gone smoothly. By the sounds of it they did a very good job with the initial two surgeries, so that's helped."

Saint Palais: a horse Bannister is keen to get back onCredit: Edward Whitaker

Bannister, who has a handful of Graded victories on his CV, hailed the staff and facilities at Oaksey House, a jockeys' rehabilitation centre in Lambourn, and also praised Jerry Hill, the BHA's chief medical adviser.

"I'm close to Lambourn and there's a hydrotherapy pool and gym at Oaksey, and Rob [Treviss] and Anna [Fisher] have been brilliant," he added. "Jerry Hill has been influential in where we go with it all and how much we do, but I think it's all gone pretty well.

"There are things you can't be certain about and things could go either way, but, from what everyone says, we've gone the right side of it, so hopefully I can put it behind me and go again.

"No time to be injured is good, but November and December are two of the busiest months, so it was quite tough to miss, although being at Oaksey has helped the sanity. I've been able to keep busy and keep my mind on something, but it was unfortunate I wasn't able to build on last season."

Alex Hales, Warren Greatrex and Richard Bandey are trainers with whom Bannister has connections and the latter's smart six-year-old Saint Palais is a horse he is eager to get back on.

He said: "Hopefully, the injury is just a minor hiccup in my career and I can make the second half of the season a good one, starting the new year with a bang and hopefully being back by the end of January.

"I won three on Saint Palais last season and I think he was wrong when he ran at Bangor in November, so you can put a line through that. Whether I'm back in time for his next run, I'm not sure, but he's achieved a lot for is age and is exciting."

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