A National Hunt trainer who suffered a cracked pelvis when she was run over by her own horsebox hopes to watch her hope for the Ladbrokes Trophy Chase in person this weekend.
Harriet Graham, who is also clerk of the course at Musselburgh, has a very live hope of taking what was formerly the Hennessy Gold Cup with Aye Right, who she trains from her Scottish Borders yard.
But just a few days ago, Harriet did not think she would be able to accompany Geoff and Elspeth Adam’s seven-year-old to Newbury tomorrow (28 November), as she was still in a great deal of pain having been run over by her own 3.5T horsebox on 10 November.
“I was on my way hunting and we drove past a Land Rover on the side of the road,” Harriet told H&H.
“I thought the man inside it was having a heart attack due to the position he was in, so I jumped out of my lorry to check if he was okay. When I saw he was all right, and just leaning down trying to find something on the floor, I stepped back into the road slightly.
“I hadn’t seen that the person driving my lorry was very kindly reversing back down the road to where I was with the man. I slipped underneath the lorry and flipped between its wheels.”
Harriet was taken to hospital and has been treated for a cracked pelvis and severe bruising. Once discharged and on crutches, she said she was “fairly useless” in terms of what she can do on the yard, and was unsure if she would be able to watch Aye Right in person in the prestigious Grade 3 chase owing to the pain she has been in.
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“I said all along that I would make a decision by Wednesday (25 November) as to whether I would go to Newbury or not, and if you’d asked me this time last week, I would have said ‘no way’. But the bruising has started to subside, so I’m going to travel with him (in the same lorry that ran me over!) and my groom will drive,” said Harriet of making the 350-mile round trip.
Aye Right, who will be the first horse Harriet has saddled at Newbury, is currently second favourite for the £113,900 first prize, behind Vinndication for the in-form Kim Bailey.
“It’s a big unknown for us to be heading to Newbury for such a big race, but Aye Right is really well and it’s very exciting,” said Harriet.
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