TOP jockey Callum Shepherd will miss the rest of the Flat season after breaking his collarbone and back in a terrifying fall at Kempton.
He was riding Militry Decoration in the 4.12 race on the all-weather on Wednesday night when the horse clipped heels and fell, throwing Shepherd from the saddle.
Shepherd was treated by medics on course and taken to hospital, where he was found to have suffered a stable fracture to his T3 and T6 vertebrae.
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He will see a specialist on Friday to determine the length of time it will take for him to return to the saddle.
Sadly, Militry Decoration suffered a fatal injury.
It means Shepherd, 27, will miss the lucrative meetings at Newmarket this weekend and British Champions Day at Ascot next weekend, where he would have been due to ride Quddwah in the QEII.
The nasty injury caps off a season of extreme highs and lows for the jockey.
He was shockingly jocked off Ambiente Friendly just days before the Derby, despite having ridden him to an impressive victory in a Classic trial.
Just two weeks later, he rode one of the biggest and most emotional winners of his career in the Hardwicke Stakes on Isle Of Jura at Royal Ascot.
He also suffered nasty facial injuries in a fall at Ascot and was banned for 18 days by the stewards at Kempton after they deemed he had thrown away outright victory after easing up near the line. He later appealed and had his ban overturned.
He told Sunracing: “I’ve broken my collarbone and fractured by T3 and T6 vertebrae, thankfully it’s a stable fracture and it’s just a case of managing the pain and resting up.
“I’m seeing a specialist tomorrow but it’s safe to assume I will miss the rest of the Flat season.
“It’s very frustrating but we all know what the worst case scenario can be with falls like this, so you just have to count yourself a little lucky.
“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster year, that’s for sure. I will just focus on getting back for the international racing over the winter now.”
