'Frustrated' Sean Flanagan likely to miss Christmas festivals with back injury

Leading rider Sean Flanagan is likely to be out of action for the major Christmas festivals as his recovery continues after fracturing three vertebrae and two ribs in a fall at Thurles last month.

A mid-January return now appears a more likely target for the 34-year-old, who took a heavy spill from the Brendan Duke-trained Joan Of Pimlico when travelling well at the third-last in a 2m7f mares' handicap hurdle on October 20.

Flanagan worked wonders to pull of a remarkable recovery from injury to ride during the festive period last year, having broken his L1 vertebra in a schooling incident six weeks earlier.

However, the Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey, who split with Noel Meade in May after seven years together, remains in a body cast with less than a month to go until Ireland's marquee Christmas meetings at Leopardstown and Limerick.

"It's been a frustrating year or so with injury," said Flanagan. "I've unfortunately done three vertebrae in my back – T4, T5 and T7 – and two ribs in the fall at Thurles.

Sean Flanagan: 'I think it could be the middle of January before I'm set to get going again'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"I'm in a body cast but will be back with [surgeon] Paddy Kenny on Tuesday. If he's happy with the progress at that stage, it's possible the cast could come off so I can do some mobility work."

Flanagan added: "Your main aim is always to be able to ride at the Christmas meetings, but with each day that passes I'm not sure it's realistic that I'll be able to get back in time. I think it could be the middle of January before I'm set to get going again."

One of the busiest riders in Ireland each season, Flanagan had been hard at work in a bid to forge new alliances since going freelance during the summer. He had ridden for 66 different trainers across the opening five and a half months of the season, partnering 15 winners for 11 individual stables.

"It's a pity this has happened in terms of timing as I felt I was making inroads into different yards, and I was really looking forward to the winter," said Flanagan.

"I had sat on and schooled some very nice winter horses, and some have won since when I would have hoped to be riding them. It's a very new chapter of my career and you're trying hard to get on to nice horses, so hopefully I can hit the ground running again when I get back."

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