Michael Cahill, who has been out of action since being injured in a race fall at the Sunshine Coast on December 3, is hopeful of making a return to trackwork riding on April 14.
Cahill went down on that day when his mount Why We Drink clipped heels, and he came away from the incident with a stable fracture of the C4 vertebra and a fractured left shoulder blade and it is now pushing four months that he has been sidelined with those injuries.
“It has been a difficult time, particularly in the early stages. Because of the fracture to the C4 and also the scapula I had to wear a neck brace and a sling,” explained Cahill.
“I like to stay pretty active when I’m not riding, but there wasn’t much I could do.
“It’s a pretty dicey back injury … and there has just been a spate of these injuries. I think there has been about six since I’ve had my injury … Dean Yendall, Luke Currie, Shane Pawsey and there are two or three others. Bobby El-Issa, I think, had the injury before I had my fall and he is still not back riding work as far as I know.
“I put it down to the body protectors we have to wear. Most of the jockeys are of the opinion that these body protectors hold you too rigid in the neck area.
I obviously can’t speak for everyone, but that is the general feeling amongst jockeys … and we are just hoping that there can be some sort of study to look into it so something can be done to maybe reduce these injuries. There are just too many of them.
“I expect to get cleared to start riding trackwork on April 14. That’s my next appointment with the orthopaedic specialist so, all being well, I’ll kick off then and it will probably be another four to six weeks before I get back to race riding.
“My appetite for riding is unchanged. I’m really looking forward to getting back to riding … to getting back on a horse and to get that feeling again … to get that adrenaline going and be involved in the competitiveness of it all.
“It’s pretty much been all down-time for me while I have been out. I only follow what is happening in racing minimally when I’m not riding,” continued Cahill. “I look at the results here and there and might watch the odd race, but I don’t sit there and watch the races every-day.
“By the time I start riding again I will have done a fair bit of form to get up to speed with the horses that have been racing. Up until now though, I guess you could say I only took a passing interest.
“It’s been an uncomfortable time, but the bottom line is I’m on the road back and, as I said, I’m very much looking forward to being back at the track.”
