Zac Purton made a welcome appearance at Tuesday morning’s barrier trial session at Sha Tin, greeting the media for the first time following Sunday’s accident in the Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint.
“I feel pretty good actually, if the doctors didn’t tell me all of the little injuries I have I’d be ready to jump back on a horse now, but I just need a couple of weeks off, maybe, the wrist is probably the most sore at this stage but the four fractured ribs are ok.
Zac Purton – lucky escape (Pic – HKJC)
“I’m surprised I have the fractures (in the ribs) because they feel fine, the nose is not a problem, it was already bent but the wrist is a little sore, so I’ll see the specialist today and we’ll try and work out how long I’ll be out for and what to do with that,” Purton explained.
Battered and bruised, Purton already appears eager to hop back in the plate – indicating a two to four week period on the sideline: “I’d say four weeks at the most, two weeks probably at the best.”
Before Sunday’s mishap, Purton was performing at the peak of his powers with three wins from the first three races on the programme.
“I’ve already booked in to start using the Hyperbaric (Oxygen) Chamber and do a few other things, so I’ll try and speed up the process as quickly as I can and if I am back in two weeks, then I’m back in two weeks, but if it takes three then so be it or four, hopefully at the worst,” Purton said.
Purton’s wins on the weekend came aboard Fast Most Furious and Good Runner for David Hall, before he capped his running treble atop Tempest Express for John Size.
“Thankfully we’re all ok, Lyle (Hewitson) was probably the one I had the most concern for, and my thoughts were with him but thankfully he’s good and I was able to see him in hospital before I walked out and left. I’m going back today to see the specialist, so I’ll go and see how he’s going but he’s in good spirits as well, it’s nice that we’ve all walked away with relatively small and minor injuries,” the four-time champion jockey of Hong Kong said.
- Today’s eight-race programme at Happy Valley kicks off at 13h15 with the second section of the Class 4 Jupiter Handicap (1200m).
