Leading South Australian jockey Clare Lindop will return to race riding for the first time since March at Morphettville tomorrow.
Clare Lindop is hoping to return to riding winners at Morphettville Parks tomorrow. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Lindop suffered 15 broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a broke scapula after falling off Gamblin’ Guru during the Listed CS Hayes Memorial Cup (1600m) at Morphettville on Adelaide Cup Day; injuries which kept her out of the saddle for several months.
The popular hoop starting ride trackwork again towards the end of June and has slowly returned to a level in which she feels comfortable returning to competitive racing.
Lindop admits that she still does not believe that she is back to full strength, but told Racing Ahead this morning that she is excited to get back into the swing of things at Morphettville tomorrow before riding right around South Australia for the rest of the week.
“I’ve been riding trackwork for about a month now and I am feeling pretty good,” Lindop said.
“I am still a little bit fat and not quite as strong as what I can be, but I feel a little bit like a footballer that had a few trial games and just needs a bit of match fitness.
“To get out there tomorrow will be nice.
“I am trying to come back in under the radar a little bit at the Wednesday meeting and just get the first meeting out of the way before I look to bigger things.
“When you come back you can’t really afford to knock anything back and it has ended up being a pretty busy week.
“It is pretty much straight back into the thick of things and I am just hoping that the body will hold up.”
The nasty injury meant that Lindop missed the 2014 Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival and was unable to partner talented filly Go Indy Go, who went on to win the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Lindop has wasted no time reacquainting herself with Go Indy Go and she said that the Group 1 winner was progressing slowly ahead of her 2014 Spring Racing Carnival campaign that could include a tilt at both the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m).
“She is back in work and she is coming along really slowly,” Lindop said.
“She hasn’t had a long spell, which is always a little bit hard on the younger fillies, so we are just taking her along steady and I think that he is happy with her progress.”
Lindop has four rides tomorrow and is expecting to have close to a full book of rides at Morphettville this Saturday.
