Barry Geraghty hoping to make debut for JP McManus this weekend

Barry Geraghty remains hopeful of making his debut as retained jockey to leading owner JP McManus this weekend – despite being admitted to hospital with a kidney stone on Tuesday.

The leading jockey has been sidelined with a broken shinbone since March, but had been riding work before his latest setback.

After attending the wedding of close friend and colleague Paul Carberry, Geraghty spent Tuesday evening in hospital.

“I came into hospital yesterday morning as I was in a fair bit of pain and I found out I had a kidney stone,” said Geraghty.

“I had it removed at 10pm last night, but I’m feeling a fair bit better today.

“I’m hoping I’ll be able to ride at the weekend, but I’m going to ride out in the morning and I’ll see how I feel then.”

McManus has entries over jumps at Bellewstown on Saturday and Limerick on Sunday.

The Betfred Mile at Glorious Goodwood has emerged as another potential target for the unbeaten Lightning Spear.

Having won at Kempton as a juvenile and Nottingham on his only start as a three-year-old, the lightly-raced son of Pivotal made a successful start to the new campaign at at Lingfield in April and was lined up for the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, only to miss the cut.

The four-year-old left connections wondering what might have been when making it four from four at Salisbury a week ago and is set to to bid for a major handicap on his next start.

Another option

Along with the Betfred Mile, Lightning Spear holds entries in both the John Smith’s Cup at York and the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket on Saturday week.

Trainer Olly Stevens said: “Lightning Spear has come out of Salisbury really well. I am still discussing with the owners what we do next with him and I thought I would give him another option. He was impressive at Salisbury and it made it even more frustrating that we weren’t in the Hunt Cup.

“It is hard to tell how far he can go. He has got a ton of quality but so far we have been picking off small handicaps and I am going to keep my feet on the ground. We will know by the end of the year how good he is.”

Lightning Spear headlines 87 entries for the £150,000 Betfred Mile.

Other contenders include Hunt Cup one-two Gm Hopkins and Temptress, Sandringham runner-up Always Smile and last year’s winner Red Avenger.

Irish handler Ger Lyons has three possible runners, notably Listed victor Tennessee Wildcat and Sacrificial, who looked undone by the draw when third in the Britannia Handicap at the Royal Ascot meeting.

Log Out Island is set to have his sights lowered on his next start after failing to run up to expectations in the Railway Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

The Dark Angel colt looked to have a major chance in the prestigious Group Two contest following a narrow defeat in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, but after cutting out the early running, he weakened quite tamely into third place.

Trainer Richard Hannon felt the run may have come too soon after his Ascot exertions and is confident the Godolphin-owned juvenile will bounce back.

Log Out Island finished just ahead of stable companion King Of Rooks in the Norfolk and he is being saved for a trip to Glorious Goodwood.

“He’ll probably go to the Molecomb. He’s a very fast horse and lost nothing in defeat (at Ascot),” said Hannon.

And Latharnach is to be kept at a mile for the Qatar Thoroughbred Stakes at Glorious Goodwood following his fine effort in defeat to Gleneagles in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.