James Doyle suffers broken collarbone as 'horrendous' fall leaves horse fatally injured

Top Flat jockey James Doyle is facing three to four weeks out of action as a result of ‘pretty horrendous’ racing fall. Doyle is retained by Wathnan Racing, the racing team owned by the Emir of which is becoming an increasingly powerful force in the .

The 36-year-old was riding Forever Proud, from the Newmarket stable of James Owen, at Chelmsford on Friday when the mare went wrong approaching the furlong pole and suffered a fatal injury.

Doyle was taken to hospital and later posted on social media, “Thanks to everyone who has wished me well following my fall at Chelmsford today. My thoughts go out to James Owen and the connections of Forever Proud.

“I’ve unfortunately sustained a broken collarbone and while this is obviously sore, I’m otherwise ok. Looking forward to being back on a racecourse soon.”

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Forever Proud was owned by Deva Racing and had won six times and four times in the last six months.

The syndicate posted: "With great sadness, we share that Forever Proud sustained a fatal injury this afternoon at Chelmsford. A wonderful mare who gave us four wins this AW season and so much heart. Our deepest sympathies to her owners and James Owen’s team who cared for her so lovingly.”

Doyle will miss an important week in the calendar for Wathnan Racing horses with winner Haatem due to return to action on Friday at Sandown where Derby contender Damysus will also run. On Sunday Doyle would have been aboard Map Of Stars in the Group 1 Prix Ganay.

Giving an update on the jockey, Wathan’s racing manager Richard Brown told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, “We’re just waiting for a full prognosis in the next 24 hours and then we’ll know whether he requires surgery or not, but he’s certainly going to be out for three of four weeks which is a big blow for us at this time of year.

“I think having seen the fall, if you’d said 60 seconds afterwards, would you take a broken collarbone, I think all of us would have said yes. It was pretty horrendous watching. It was a nasty high speed fall.”

Brown said William Buick would deputise for Doyle on Haatem in the bet365 Mile with Kieren Shoemark on Damysus if Buick is claimed by Godolphin in the bet365 Classic Trial.