Jockey Paddy Mathers set for lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering serious injuries in gallops fall

Jockey Paddy Mathers will spend a significant period on the sidelines after sustaining serious injuries following a fall on the gallops in Malton on Thursday.

Mathers, 42, is set to miss around two months of action after he was rushed to hospital in Hull, where he was treated for broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a fractured shoulder blade and a collapsed lung.

Mathers, who will use the facilities at the Injured Jockeys Fund's Jack Berry House in Malton to recover, said: "I wasn't really going that fast, it was probably only 100 yards or so after the stalls. I knew something happened straight away because I couldn't breath. I knew it was my collarbone and my lung.

"I got the tube out of my ribs on Saturday and I'll rest up for a week or two before I go to Jack Berry House. It's a great place because I can go there whenever I want."

Mathers is enjoying his best campaign since 2021 with ten winners on the board, but he knows how important his recovery will be over the next couple of months.

He said: "The doctors are saying around eight weeks, but I'm not going to rush things because I'm getting older now and everything will take longer to heal. 

"There's a lot going through your mind, but I was doing quite well this year as my agent [James Forrest] was getting me going. It's unfortunate this has happened and I'll have to fight for these positions when I come back, but Adrian Nicholls and John Quinn have been looking after me, while I've been riding a bit for Rebecca Menzies too."

Forrest added: "He's been in the wars the last few weeks. He took a nasty kick in the ring the other day and he was fine to come back riding straight away. 

"It's typical when you're riding winners and I know he'll be gutted. We're hoping it'll be six to eight weeks, but it's one those things that happen in the mornings quite often."

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