Injured Murtagh to make swift recovery

Injured jockey Johnny Murtagh should return to action on Thursday after escaping serious injury when his mount True Crystal unseated…

Injured jockey Johnny Murtagh should return to action on Thursday after escaping serious injury when his mount True Crystal unseated him at the Curragh yesterday.

His agent Eddie Byrne said today: "He had four stitches inserted in a wound on the outer part of the right foot.

"The doctor will have a look at him tomorrow and he hopes to ride at Gowran Park on Thursday.

"There's nothing broken or anything like that, he's just a bit sore this morning. He's suspended Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday anyway and he hopes to be back for John Oxx on Thursday.

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"Thankfully it wasn't as serious as we thought at first."

Murtagh is replaced by Jamie Spencer on Sir Michael Stoute's Little Rock in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-Lucien Barriere at Longchamp later today.

Meanwhile, Richard Hughes faces a lengthy stay in hospital as he recovers from a fractured tibia he suffered in an accident before the start of the opening race at Newmarket yesterday.

Hughes was unseated by the John Gosden-trained Carmelita as she was being led towards the stalls for the EBF Arlington Maiden Fillies' Stakes.

"I've just left him at the hospital," said his agent Tony Hind today.

"He's got a broken tibia bone, just below the knee on the shinbone on his left leg. And he's bruised as well."

"He said he was sleeping but then he'd half wake up, his leg would move and he'd feel the pain. But other than that he's stable.

"He doesn't know himself yet how long he will be in hospital - it could be a week or it could be two weeks.

"I asked him how long he would be in for and he said not even the doctors could tell him how long.

"Because his leg has swelled up they have to wait for the swelling to go down before they can put the cast back on it. So it all depends on how long that takes."

Hughes, who is in his first season as retained rider to Khalid Abdullah, will now miss the rest of the Flat season.