Jockey Jack Gilligan, who had been enjoying early success at the current Fair Grounds meet, said he expects to be out four to five weeks after he broke his left collarbone in a gate accident in the last race on Jan. 10.
Gilligan was aboard Tripper John, a 4-year-old maiden gelding he had ridden before. He knew the horse had previously had issues with the gate but in their last start together they experienced no issues. After loading on Sunday, Gilligan said the horse went up with no warning, tossing him out the back of the gate. He remembers turning in midair and came down primarily on his left shoulder, breaking that collarbone in the same place he had broken it previously.
“It took me like four weeks to get back on horses and five weeks to get back racing [last time] so I'm hopeful for the same timeline,” he said. “It was a bit unlucky. If I'd fallen any other way I'd probably be all right. My collarbone, the way it healed was a little crooked, so that's probably why it was easier to break this time.”
Gilligan also said Wednesday that he would be getting evaluated to see if he had a concussion, as he also suffered some head trauma in the fall.
Tripper John was scratched after the incident, but Gilligan said he believed the horse was unharmed.
One of few advantages to breaking the same bone a second time is Gilligan said he's not in as much pain as he remembers from the first injury as long as he keeps his arm still. He expects the next few weeks to be quiet ones as he waits out the healing process, with a few days to grab some extra sleep and downtime before he must begin getting back to training.
So far this year, Gilligan has two wins, three seconds and eight thirds from 35 starts. To date, the British native has ridden 356 American winners since becoming licensed in the United States in 2014 and has piloted earners of more than $8.7 million.
The post Jockey Gilligan Breaks Collarbone In Gate Incident, Expects To Be Out Five Weeks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
