Extended stints on the sidelines for injured drivers

The news isn’t good for two of the country’s top harness racing drivers who are facing longer than expected recoveries after recent setbacks.

Sarah O’Reilly won’t be back in the sulky this year after breaking her arm in July while Benjamin Butcher says he’s got weeks of physio on his shoulder before he returns to race day driving.

For Butcher though the more pressing concern is fully recovering from what was a serious concussion suffered when he was thrown to the track while driving Iron Heart in a 2YO Sires’ Stakes heat at Alexandra Park in late August.

“For the first week I was sleeping 19 or 20 hours a day, I was like a zombie and my eyes were all glassy,” says Butcher, “now I’m getting through the day ok but when I get to bed I’m exhausted.”

“It’s just a matter of time. You only have one brain so you have to take care of it the best you can.”

Butcher’s expected to start physio soon on his shoulder and then he’ll map out a plan to getting back on track.

“I’m still thinking about it but I think I’ll drive the ones I’m training and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see me on the track before the end of the year.”

The same can’t be said for O’Reilly.

She broke her arm and suffered facial injuries in a trackwork accident at Ashburton Raceway.

At the time she said “the horse in behind me jumped into my cart”.

The recovery has been much slower than she expected or wanted, with a visit to a specialist last week confirming she’ll be in for a quiet spring-summer.

“I’ve been told to wait another three months,” says O’Reilly, “and that’s when they will see me again.”

“They are happy with how’s it’s healing but it’s taking a long time and x-rays have shown it’s not perfect.”  

Like Butcher she’ll now be getting regular physiotherapy with the hope that she can build strength in a bid to avoid surgery.

“They say if it hasn’t healed properly then they will look at taking some different action.”

by Dave Di Somma, for Harness News Desk