Turner had been out for six weeks after being knocked unconscious

Hayley Turner has been told she will not be allowed to renew her jockey's licence until at least 3 March 2010 by racing's medical authorities.

Turner, 26, had missed six weeks after being knocked unconscious in early March on the Newmarket gallops when her horse broke a leg in a stalls accident.

Britain's top female jockey said she was disappointed with the decision.

"I'm obviously upset. I will be able to be back riding at some point but, until then, we'll have to see," she said.

The Nottinghamshire jockey, who became the first female to ride 100 winners in a calendar year in Britain in 2008, said she has not yet made any plans for the next 11 months.

"I don't really know what I am going to do yet, hopefully my sponsors can find me lots of things to keep me occupied," she commented.

A scan showed Turner suffered bruising inside her skull.

British Horseracing Authority's chief medical adviser Dr Michael Turner assessed Turner along with Dr Anna-Louise Mackinnon, medical adviser of the Professional Jockeys Association, and he said that although Turner had recovered well he had to be cautious.

606: DEBATE Absolutely gutted. Fantastic jockey, truly fantastic. Real shame we won't be seeing her until 2010. MrTrends aka. The Group 1 God aka. Zarkava's Lover

"Having carefully studied the results of recent tests and consulted expert opinion, I was unable to recommend that her licence be renewed until 12 months from the date of the accident," Dr Turner said.

"Hayley has recovered well from her injuries but you cannot take any chances in cases like this. She remains under regular medical review and is due to see her own specialist at Addenbrookes in early June. Hayley is obviously disappointed but understands my decision."

The news will be devastating for Turner's fans in the year she was picked by the marketing department at Epsom racecourse to be the "Face of the Derby".

Although she was unable to remember details of the incident until 10 days afterwards, she had not expected to be sidelined for what she described as her "favourite part of the season" - when the Classic trials start in the second half of April.

Her agent Guy Jewell said: "She is devastated to be signed off for a year, but you can't mess around with head injuries. The best thing is that she is absolutely fine and she will be back.

"You would hope with her media skills there might be a few days on the box for her coming up."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version