Leith Innes
Trish Dunell
Top jockey Leith Innes is making a good recovery following knee surgery last month.
"Everything went to plan and I'm having physio and doing a bit of light exercise," he said. "It was an on-going injury. I fell off a few years ago and it had bugged me ever since."
The 38-year-old is expecting to make his return to the saddle early in the new season.
"I've pencilled in the Ruakaka meeting on August 6 – there's a nice three-year-old race there that leads on to Hawke's Bay so that's the plan," he said.
"I haven't jumped on a horse yet, the knee needs some more strengthening, but it's all going well."
Innes has enjoyed an outstanding season in 2015-16 with 77 winners to place him in fourth spot in the jockeys' premiership and, most importantly, he has ridden four Group One winners.
He partnered the Allan Sharrock-trained Kawi to glory in the Makfi Challenge Stakes, Zabeel Classic and Thorndon Mile and then continued his potent partnership with Cambridge horseman Tony Pike at the Brisbane winter carnival.
Innes got the call to ride Provocative in the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks and he duly guided the Zabeel filly to a dominant victory.
"Provocative is quite special. We've had a big opinion of her right from day one," he said.
"She was my Derby ride here before she was ruled out the week of the race. She would have been awfully hard to beat had she started at Ellerslie." – NZ Racing Desk.
"Everything went to plan and I'm having physio and doing a bit of light exercise," he said. "It was an on-going injury. I fell off a few years ago and it had bugged me ever since."
The 38-year-old is expecting to make his return to the saddle early in the new season.
"I've pencilled in the Ruakaka meeting on August 6 – there's a nice three-year-old race there that leads on to Hawke's Bay so that's the plan," he said.
"I haven't jumped on a horse yet, the knee needs some more strengthening, but it's all going well."
Innes has enjoyed an outstanding season in 2015-16 with 77 winners to place him in fourth spot in the jockeys' premiership and, most importantly, he has ridden four Group One winners.
He partnered the Allan Sharrock-trained Kawi to glory in the Makfi Challenge Stakes, Zabeel Classic and Thorndon Mile and then continued his potent partnership with Cambridge horseman Tony Pike at the Brisbane winter carnival.
Innes got the call to ride Provocative in the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks and he duly guided the Zabeel filly to a dominant victory.
"Provocative is quite special. We've had a big opinion of her right from day one," he said.
"She was my Derby ride here before she was ruled out the week of the race. She would have been awfully hard to beat had she started at Ellerslie." – NZ Racing Desk.
