'I was blind in one eye jumping the fence' - Page Fuller suffers mid-race stroke

Page Fuller spoke candidly on Monday about suffering a mini-stroke during a race at Fontwell last week, which has left her future in the saddle unclear.

Fuller was riding Touchthesoul for Jo Davis in a 2m2f handicap chase at the Sussex track on Friday, but pulled the gelding up after the first fence, which she jumped with limited vision.

Speaking from hospital on Monday, Fuller said: "I jumped off feeling absolutely fine, but then felt a bit funny and couldn't really see anything on my right side. I was down the inside and couldn't see any of the horses to my right. I looked round and could see them with my left eye, but not my right eye.

"Coming into the fence, my vision went right down and I could only just see it, but, luckily, the horse was a bit of a life-saver and got me over. When I went to pull him up, I realised my right arm was weak and in spasm with pins and needles."

Anythingforlove: Fuller's biggest winner to date so farCredit: Mark Cranham

Fuller rides mainly for Jamie Snowden's Lambourn yard and partnered a Grade 2 winner for the trainer at Sandown in 2021 when Anythingforlove struck in the Jane Seymour Novices' Hurdle.

She added: "I'd had a fall at Plumpton a few weeks ago and I was a bit stiff afterwards but I didn't think anything of it.

"The trauma from whiplash can cause a tear on the inside of the arteries in your neck. I had a tear and where it tried to heal by clotting, it created a clot and caused a small stroke.

"It's rare and only a small stroke. I've got the results back from the MRI and hopefully there's no significant brain damage, but you only know that when you try to start doing stuff."

'I've got to have a think about what it means for me long-term'

Snowden's stable jockey Gavin Sheehan was also riding at Fontwell and drove Fuller's car home before she went to hospital in Swindon for tests.

She remains upbeat about her prognosis, but thoughts of a return to the saddle are not at the front of her mind.

Jamie Snowden: Page Fuller's main backerCredit: Getty Images

"Yesterday was a really good day and today isn't so good, but I'm just really grateful it was in a controlled environment," she said. "It could have been a worse stroke and I could have been driving home. Everyone has been so good and supportive since.

"I got a bit better when I got off the horse, but still felt strange and couldn't quite work out what happened. Nothing has sort of stuck, which is a good sign and my brain wasn't starved of oxygen for too long.

"At the end of the day getting my health right is the priority now, so I've got to have a think about what it means for me long-term," she said, "but I won't know until I know how I'm healing."

The 27-year-old hopes to leave hospital this week and will make use of the facilities at Oaksey House, the jockeys' rehabilitation centre in Lambourn.

"Things will depend on how the artery heals," she added. "It's going to be a long process, but I'm going to have the right people around me with Oaksey House. I feel confident I haven't had any significant effects in terms of dexterity, so hopefully I can get back to normal, but you can never take that for granted.

"When you say stroke, it sounds awful because strokes can be awful, but I'm hoping – the way everyone is talking about – I'm at the less-severe end of what it could have been.

"Even though it's a shock for me and my family, I'll be home soon and my family are aware of the risks of being a jockey anyway – they cope quite well!"

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