Veteran jockey Neville Wilson has been back riding trackwork for sometime but he finally believes he is nearing a race day return.
Wilson estimates he is two months away from making a comeback to race riding following a fall at Geelong in March last year.
“The health is pretty good. I’ve been back riding work for a while but I’m still not right to race ride yet,” said Wilson, who at 65 years of age is the elder statesman of Victorian jockeys.
“I’m a couple of months away.
“I have to go back and see the specialist at the end of March.
“I’m doing well but I’ve still got another 15 per cent to improve.”
Wilson has ridden more than 2060 winners from more than 20,000 rides.
He was dislodged from The Wind Whistler near the home turn in a race on the synthetic track at Geelong on March 25 last year after his saddle shifted due to his mount hanging in.
He broke two vertebrae, his right shoulder, left thumb and ruptured an artery in his neck.
In April last year he endured post-surgery complications when he contracted an infection after a neck operation and had to undergo further surgery.
The infection occurred where a bone was grafted from his hip into his neck.
Wilson was at Sandown on Wednesday where he watched the Geoff Daffy-trained Lady Chopin land an upset win at $20 in a 1300m mares event with champion jockey Damien Oliver aboard.
Lady Chopin is raced by Wilson’s wife Carol.
“She’s a good, honest little mare and she’s been a bit stiff a couple of times this time in,” Wilson said.
“It was a good win.”
Camperdown-based Daffy and Wilson have been a lethal combination in the western district for many years and in 2008 they won the Wangoom Hcp (1200m) at Warrnambool with Lancet.
“We sold the (dairy) farm and Carol said she wanted another horse so she leased her,” Wilson said of Lady Chopin.
It was Carol Wilson’s first metropolitan winner as an owner.
AAP TURF
