RYEDALE'S most successful and best-known female jockey is facing a month or more on the sidelines after a crashing fall.

Sammy-Jo Bell fractured a bone in her pelvis and also suffered heavy bruising at Carlisle last Friday in an ugly incident before the one-mile handicap.

Her mount, Royal Duchess – on whom she had won twice last season – became extremely fractious in the parade ring and Bell was having difficulty mounting her and getting her to go forward.

The six-year-old mare was led out to the walkway on to the course in an attempt to relieve her tension but when Bell was legged into the saddle, Royal Duchess reared-up and fell over backwards, landing on top of the Malton apprentice, who was trapped beneath her for several seconds.

Immediately attended to by paramedics on the course, she was taken to Carlisle Infirmary, where her fracture was identified before she was released later that evening.

To rub salt into her wounds, Bell missed a winner, the Richard Fahey-trained Frap in the concluding race. Her place was taken by Rachel Richardson, who got the gelding home in a tight finish before going to the hospital and driving Bell back to Malton.

Currently getting about on crutches, Bell has wasted no time in getting some help, advice and treatment at Jack Berry House. She paid a visit to the Injured Jockeys' Fitness and Rehabilitation Centre on Monday morning for assessment and has since been back to do gentle exercise in the hydrotherapy pool.

Bell said: "Over the weekend, everything hurt, including my ribs, and I couldn't put any weight on my right leg, even supported on crutches. But the bruising is beginning to come out now and it's feeling a bit more comfortable.

"I have fractured my pubic bone, and the doctors are telling me it will take at least a month to heal, but I am hoping to get hold of a machine later this week – I think it's a laser-type thing – that Ryan Moore and Martin Harley have used previously and both got a lot of benefit from it."

Although frustrated to be sidelined as the season approaches its busiest period, Bell believes herself to be doubly-lucky. She reflected: "I have never had an injury before, so I suppose I was overdue one, and this one could have been a lot worse. I came out of it better than I might have done."

Bell, who is attached to Richard Fahey's stable, hit the headlines last year when she won the Silver Saddle Trophy after taking the international Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot by storm when riding two winners to contribute to her best-ever campaign when she chalked-up 28 successes.

+

BEN Robinson has adopted Ripon as his favourite course. The Norton-based apprentice, who is attached to Brian Ellison's Spring Cottage yard, rode his first winner at the track earlier in the month aboard General Alexander and duly doubled his tally last week when he returned to Ripon to gain a cool and stylish success on Always Resolute to make it two winners from 12 mounts.

"Thanks go to Mr Ellison and the owners for giving me such nice horses to ride," said Robinson, who is creating a good impression.

Ellison has his horses in very good nick. Among his other winners last week were Pea Shooter at Wetherby and Legal Art, who triumphed at Newcastle's first meeting since the track was changed from a turf course into a Tapeta all-weather circuit.

The new-look course attracted sizeable entries and proved a happy hunting ground for the Ryedale fraternity. David O'Meara scored with both Tawdeea and Alsvinder, while Peter NIven was on the mark with 10-1 shot Barwah.

+

CAM Hardie, back in his native Ryedale after a successful apprenticeship with Richard Hannon in Wiltshire, took his first steps to reigniting his career at Wetherby last week.

Hardie enjoyed an armchair ride on the John Quinn-trained Chavalier Du Lac, a six-lengths winner, to post his first success for seven months.

"It's good to have a winner and it's my first since I've been back up here," said Hardie, who had celebrated his 20th birthday the previous day.

After riding a massive 59 winners in 2014 and 39 last year, Hardie – whose father Willie is head lad at Tim Easterby's Great Habton yard – lost his apprentice allowance in double-quick time and has since seen a steep downturn in his fortunes.

"It's not easy when you lose your claim and it dried up a bit down south," he explained. "I wanted a change of scenery and wanted to spread my contacts and I'm now based between Mick Easterby, Tim Easterby and John Quinn."

+

DANNY Tudhope enjoyed a victory to savour at York last Saturday when his first ride for Her Majesty the Queen resulted in a memorable success in the Royal colours aboard the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Diploma.

Tudhope, whose previous visit to York ten days earlier had seen him take a crashing fall when the ill-fated Areen suffered a fatal heart attack during a race, had returned to the saddle earlier in the week after miraculously suffering only bruising.

He always looked confident on Diploma and brought this talented filly home with more than three lengths to spare.

+

DON'T Touch may have lost his unbeaten record in Ireland last weekend – the six-times winner was beaten just over a length in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh, his first venture into Pattern company – but Richard Fahey still enjoyed a notable success during the afternoon.

The Malton trainer scored with the upwardly-mobile Garcia, who followed-up his Beverley victory last month in the £60,000 Silver Bowl, getting home in a thrilling finish under a sterling ride from Paul Hanagan. The Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot may now come under the radar for Garcia at next month's Royal Ascot meeting.

Fahey's other success stories last week included the smart Dolphin Vista, who ran out a decisive winner of Ripon's feature race in the hands of Tony Hamilton, who earlier this month had notched his 650th Flat winner in Britain.

+

TIM Easterby's Great Habton stable has struck form with a vengeance – a fact illustrated by a Saturday double with strong stayer My Kingdom at Haydock and Mystic Miraaj, who provided the Easterby family with a celebratory moment at York.

The mount of the trainer's son William, Mystic Miraaj ran out a comfortable winner of the gentlemen amateur riders' handicap after being saddled-up by Emily Easterby, standing-in for her father and appearing alongside her brother on the presentation podium.

Earlier in the week, Easterby had scored with the Duran Fentiman-ridden Kenny The Captain at Carlisle, Duke Of Yorkshire, who benefited from a well-judged front-running ride from Rachel Richardson at Wetherby, and Appointed, who made a winning debut under David Allan at Ripon.

There was much to like about Appointed's success at her first attempt. Green and slightly outpaced in the first half of the race, she picked up well inside the final quarter-mile and was nicely on top at the finish. A big, scopey filly, she looks useful.

As for Allan, he added to a productive week with a Listed race win aboard Take Cover for Bawtry trainer David Griffiths at Haydock on Friday evening, where Tom Eaves proved another local jockey to follow.

Eaves completed a double on the James Given-trained Prince Of Cool in the juvenile race and handicapper Sign Manual, trained by Donald McCain, who got home in a photo-finish.

Catterick's corresponding evening meeting also saw the locals in winning form, Paul Midgley and Graham Gibbons hitting the target with Merry Banter and Noel Wilson and Barry McHugh delivering with IT Guru.