2024 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan has confirmed he suffered a broken hand following a heavy fall at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Dolan, who partnered Knight’s Choice to victory in last year’s Melbourne Cup, was riding Sirkel in Race 4 when the mare clipped heels and blundered rounding the home turn, dislodging her rider, according to the stewards’ report.
The rider was heavily impacted in the fall and was taken to Sunshine Coast Hospital for assessment.
Tragically, Sirkel sustained injuries in the incident and was subsequently euthanised on track.
“I’m feeling pretty sore,” Dolan told Racenet.
“I’m very lucky I only have a broken hand and a (suspected) torn muscle in my back. I’ll cop that.
“It’ll probably be at least a couple of weeks before I’m back riding again.”
Reflecting on the incident and the loss of the mare, Dolan said the outcome was difficult to process.
“When I saw they had the screen up for the horse I was pretty angry and threw my helmet on the ground,” he said.
“I’m just devastated for the horse and her connections.”
Dolan is expected to spend the coming weeks recovering before attempting a return to race riding.
