Steph bounces back a winner

It was a comeback like none other.

Reinswoman Stephanie Morris was involved in a horrific race fall at Penrith on December 29 where she was heavily concussed.

Just two weeks later, she was back driving and not only competing but winning!

Morris made a return to the sulky on Thursday night, at the very same track as her accident, and drove two winners in her first two drives back.

“It was great – I’m pretty lucky I was able to bounce back quickly and didn’t sustain any serious injuries in my fall,” said Morris.

“I had a little bit of a wary feeling before my first drive but once I was out on the track I was fine.

“I felt even better coming off the track because I was driving a trotter that doesn’t usually get on with me, some days he gallops, but we got the job done.”

That was with the Leon Jurd-trained Flash Kyvalley (Skyvalley) and just two races later, Morris was back in the winners’ circle with Ellava Pacer – a horse she trains herself.

FLASH KYVALLEY REPLAY

Morris was able to make a seemingly quick return to driving after passing her cognitive test – a process Harness Racing New South Wales (HRNSW) has implemented as part of the 2023 licence renewal process for drivers in the state.

Morris completed her first cognitive test prior to renewing her licence for this season and completed another one week after her accident.

“The whole process for the cognitive test was easy and HRNSW made it all happen without a fuss,” said Morris.

“They gave me space to recover and as I was ready, they provided me all the information I needed.

“This gives you that extra reassurance, as even though you feel fine you might not be and it’s not about just doing the right thing for me but also for the other people that are competing in a race with you.”

HRNSW Education and Welfare Manager Maurice Logue, a former jockey himself, knows the importance of having such procedures in place for drivers.

“Previously we have sent our drivers that have suffered a concussion to their GP for testing where they could be asked a series of questions,” said Logue.

“What it didn’t do was tell us how long it took participants to answer those questions.

“Our cognitive test solves that issue.

“Fortunately for Stephanie she did her cognitive test before her fall at Penrith.

“She did another test a week after her fall and her test results confirmed her brain recovered from the concussion she suffered.

“We were able to compare her baseline/first test against her post-injury test results and it provided our Chief Medical Officer Dr David Duckworth with reliable information to assess Stephanie’s fitness to return to race driving.

“It is important that we have really reliable data now as we’ve seen in other sports how people are impacted without it.”

For an example of cognitive testing, Morris has agreed to share her recent results, click here.

by Amanda Rando for HRNSW Media