Jockey O'Connor overcomes serious injury with Dundalk winner

Donagh O'Connor bagged with a first winner since returning to action following serious injury sustained last August at Dundalk today as he steered the Johnny Levins trained Nordic Passage to win the Bet On The Best Night Out At Dundalk Handicap.

O'Connor, who is based with trainer Levins, fell from his mount Unconscious Mind who was hampered mid-race at Cork on August 17, and suffered a serious injury to his back.

The jockey today reported “I fractured the C4 vertebrae in my spine but I was lucky as it was a stable fracture and I was glad to be able to walk away from that. It was a bad fall and I was out of four months; I had a brace on for two months and then had physiotherapy and it was a long times on the sidelines.

“I was itching to get back and it is great to get the win and I'm looking forward to the new season.”

Trainer Levins also commented “credit to David Spratt from Gaelic Bloodstock and Phil Byrnes, they bought this horse and told me to be very patient with him.

“He looked to be a very nice young horse but just fell away with Mr Gosden. They snapped him up relatively cheap (11,000gns last May).

“It took him a while to learn how to get back racing and doing things right. We tried a hood on him the last day and it seemed to work as well as the tongue-tie.

“He needed a ride like that to get his confidence back and Donagh was absolutely excellent on him.

“Hopefully now we can plan a program with him and hopefully there is plenty of winning left in him.

“He could be an improving horse.”

Quotes from Gary Carson