No-one to blame for Australian Oaks fall

Wednesday 18 May 2016, 6:00pm

A fall in which Kathy O'Hara suffered a serious injury has been determined an accident with no other rider to blame.

O'Hara, who expects to be back riding in two weeks, came down in the ATC Australian Oaks at Randwick on April 9 when Single Gaze clipped heels with Happy Hannah ridden by Blake Shinn.

Damien Oliver, Blake Shinn and Glyn Schofield attended an adjourned inquiry before Racing NSW stewards in Sydney on Wednesday.

The stewards panel said Oliver on Jameka was improving between Schofield and Shinn into a run they found he was entitled to take.

Shinn's mount Happy Hannah in turn made contact with Single Gaze.

"The fall, serious as it was, was not the result of rider error," chief steward Ray Murrihy said.

"There was a discernible shift, but not great, from Damien Oliver.

"There was slight contact - small but significant.

"Kathy O'Hara was awkwardly placed but it was what we would call a racing incident."

O'Hara suffered sterno-clavicular damage which hampered her breathing and underwent surgery to relieve pressure.

Her recovery has been more rapid than predicted and she says she will be ready to ride in another two weeks, about four weeks ahead of schedule.

"I will be back at trackwork tomorrow," she said.

"It was painful and uncomfortable until they found the problem.

"I should be back riding in two weeks."

Single Gaze, who O'Hara rode to win the Group One Vinery Stakes, suffered only a minor graze to a leg in the incident.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »