Group 1-winning jockey Declan Bates will spend an extended period on the sidelines after sustaining multiple injuries in a fall during Monday’s jumpouts at Ballarat.
Bates was taken to hospital after reporting severe back pain following the incident. Tests later confirmed he had suffered a fractured pelvis and sacrum — the bone located at the base of the spine. The Victorian Jockeys’ Association (VJA) also revealed a possible fracture to his T4 vertebrae, although that injury is yet to be fully confirmed.
The VJA said Bates will not require surgery at this stage, with specialists opting for a non-operative recovery plan.
Bates only recently surpassed the 700-career win milestone and partnered the Gavin Bedggood-trained Eagle Angel to victory at Cranbourne last Friday night. The popular Irish rider has posted 30 winners already this season, highlighted by an emotional triumph aboard Pride Of Jenni in the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington on November 1.
The racing community is rallying around Bates as he begins what is expected to be a lengthy rehabilitation.
