MALTON jockey Joanna Mason faces a spell of at least six weeks on the sidelines after fracturing her left leg in a freak accident on the gallops on Monday morning.

Jo was riding out for her grandfather Mick Easterby at Sheriff Hutton when a pigeon flew out of some bushes and spooked her mount.

 “My filly darted off to the right and I landed rather awkwardly on my ankle,” she said on Tuesday.

“I didn’t rush to get to my feet, it was quite swollen but I wasn’t in any pain. 

“I went to Jack Berry House in Malton and they suggested that I went over to the hospital for an X-Ray just in case I had broken it even though it still wasn’t painful. 

“After she had done the X-Ray the nurse came out and said I had made a ‘good job of it’ which is something I didn’t want to hear.

“She said I had a spiral fracture to my distal fibula. I’ve already been in touch with Dr Jerry Hill, chief medical adviser to the BHA and I won’t need an operation but will have to go back for an X-ray in a couple of weeks time to check it is healing properly. 

“After that we will see how things go.

“It is particularly frustrating to have an injury at this time of year when racing is at its busiest. 

“Also granddad’s horses are running into form and I already missed a winner for him at Thirsk on Monday.

"I hope to be back in six weeks’ time.

“It had been a brilliant weekend as well as I had three winners, two for my granddad and another in an arab race.”

Jo, who has ridden 17 winners in Britain this year, has already suffered one nasty injury when at the beginning of May a horse she had just won on at Beverley lashed out and kicked her on the knee.

Although no bones were broken she had to endure ten days on the sidelines.
 

“I was just getting going again after that when this happens,” she mused.

It all goes to illustrate the ups and downs of the sport of racing, for back in February Jo was on cloud nine after a memorable day in the sunshine of Saudi Arabia when she rode a winner and finished overall third in the valuable four-race International Jockeys Challenge.

She added wistfully: “There is nothing I can do except work hard to get back even stronger than I was before. These things happen.”