‘Johnny’ Nugent back in the saddle

Apprentice Oshane 'Johnny' Nugent is aiming to return to the saddle at Caymanas Park next weekend, almost three months after suffering a head injury at the track.

The 29-year-old Nugent, who was the leading rider at the time of the injury, was taking a three-year-old that is yet to race through its paces on February 11, when the animal ran into the track railing with the jockey aboard, throwing him from the saddle.

Nugent told STAR Sports that he recently began exercising horses in the mornings again and the response from trainers, grooms and stable lads has been great. He is, therefore, looking forward to returning to competitive action in a week's time.

"I think it will be next week, hopefully, and so that is my aim right now and I have been working towards that," said Nugent.

"It feels good to be back in the saddle because I have been working a lot of horses in the mornings, and so it is just for me to get back my rhythm and timing and I have been working on that every day," he said.

Getting back into shape

"I have been working a lot of two-year-old horses that are cantering, and this is also helping me a lot in getting back into the shape that I was in before I got injured," he said.

Nugent, who began riding in December 2019, who was leading the jockey's championships with 13 wins at the time of his fall. He has so far recorded 49 career wins.

He stated that the response from the stakeholders at Caymanas Park has been great since his return to exercise riding a couple of weeks ago.

"A lot of persons are very happy that I am back, especially the trainers who I have been working with because they are the ones who have been encouraging me and telling me to keep up and just stay focused and don't let this injury get me down," Nugent said.

"I am looking forward to getting the rides and getting the support from the trainers, owner and grooms, and I believe that once I get the rides then I am going to win a lot of races," he said.