Jockey Martin Harley has head and neck in a halo as he recovers from broken neck

06 February 2023 , 13:25

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Royal Ascot-winning jockey Martin Harley hopes to be back riding next month (Image: World Horse Racing/Twitter)

Royal Ascot-winning jockey Martin Harley who broke his neck in a sickening race fall in Australia last month has vowed to be back in the saddle by the end of March.

Harley suffered fractures to his neck, shoulder blade and ribs and a small bleed on the brain but left hospital after two days and has now embarked on his recuperation with his head and neck supported by a halo.

The 33-year-old, who won the King’s Stand Stakes on Goldream in 2015, moved from Newmarket to Brisbane, Queensland last year under a three year sponsorship.

He had ridden five winners and was looking forward to the Magic Millions meeting when he was thrown to the ground during a race at Doomben when his mount Deferential clipped heels.

“I don’t know a lot about these injuries, but what I do know is when someone breaks their neck that bad, most of them never think about riding a horse again, so I am very, very lucky,” he told

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Harley said no one was to blame for the incident, describing it as a freak accident. “I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

Martin Harley left hospital after two days despite breaking his neck in a race fall (World Horse Racing/Twitter)

Martin Harley exercises on the beach as he recovers from a broken neck (World Horse Racing/Twitter)

He added: “I think things are healing well because every day I feel like I can do a little bit more.

“I’d like to think I could be back in the saddle in around six to seven weeks, I was given a time frame of five months but I can tell you it won’t be five months.”

Jon Lees