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Ruby Walsh came crashing down to earth at Down Royal yesterday after suffering fractures to both his tibia and fibula in a heavy fall from Corrick Bridge. Walsh had earlier steered the Paul Nicholls-trained duo Kauto Star and The Nightingale to success in a graded race double.
Walsh was accompanied on the ambulance journey to hospital by the Turf Club's medical officer Dr Adrian McGoldrick and is expecterd to miss up to 12 weeks of action after surgery. This represents a bitter blow for the jockey after dual Gold Cup hero Kauto Star had returned to winning ways in the featured Grade 1 JNwine.com Champion Chase.
Sent off 4-7 favourite to win this three- mile event for the second time, the 10 year-old was having his first outing since crashing out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and only had to be driven out to beat Sizing Europe by four lengths, with China Rock a further neck away in third. Nicholls was obviously relieved to see Kauto Star back on track and said: "That was just the start we wanted and he jumped great today.
"The ground was quite testing and his stamina won the day. I did a lot of work on him in the spring and his confidence is back.
"I've left loads of improvement in him and if he doesn't run in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury under top-weight he'll go straight to Kempton for the King George. We'll decide in a few days whether he runs in the Hennessy and I'll let everyone know." Ladbrokes have cut Kauto Star's price for the King George, a race he is bidding to win for the fourth year in a row, from 7-4 to 5-4 favourite.
The trainer and jockey combination went on to register a quick double courtesy of 3-1 chance The Nightingale in the Ladbrokes.com Chase.
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