McClure recovering after surgery, provides timeline

After Trot Insider learned of an injury Bob McClure suffered in an off-track incident last week, the O’Brien Award-winning harness racing driver has provided further details on his recovery.

McClure, who broke his femur in a freak accident, told Woodbine Mohawk Park’s Jeff Bratt and Randy Waples that he had successful surgery earlier in the week and is home with his family recovering.

“It wasn’t a severe break, it was pretty clean,” McClure explained before the card of harness racing on Friday, Jan. 26. “I was fortunate to get surgery… The other breaks I’ve had, I didn’t get surgery, which prolongs the healing. So it should speed everything up.”

McClure, however, is looking at the positives despite his unfortunate incident. And those positives include spending more time with family.

“I got home on Sunday from the hospital and my oldest son Ryder was sick on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” shared McClure. “On those days, he was here hanging out and helping me, so that was really nice.

“My two-year-old, he’s been planning attacks to try and get me on that [injured] leg, but he hasn’t got me yet,” said McClure with a laugh.

When not relaxing, McClure will partake in physiotherapy treatments, leading to his return to the racetrack. His recovery process will also include sessions in a hyperbaric chamber.

“When I broke my humerus, I was able to get in touch with Dr. Mike Venneri… He owns some horses and he owns [a hyperbaric chamber] too,” added McClure. “He’s been really good to me and James [MacDonald] when we’ve been injured, so I’m going to be able to go down there and utilize that. I don’t know if it helps or it doesn’t help, but a lot of people believe it does… and it certainly doesn’t hurt. We’ll give it a shot.”

For now, McClure will relax at home where he will look to spend more time with his kids, but misses not being able to participate in a few more activities. In addition, he can’t thank his wife, Jody, enough for being by his side.

“I couldn’t get through this without my family. My wife is pretty good at taking care of me,” said McClure. “My eight-year-old son has been a huge help, too.

“I wish I could do a little more with them… I used to be able to play mini-sticks with my son every night, but that league is on hold right now.”

As for a timeline to his return to racing, McClure is optimistic he can be back by the spring.

“When I broke my pelvis, it was a six-week recovery and I was back in four,” recalled McClure. “When I broke my arm, it was in November… The humerus is a serious bone and it took about four months, but then again, I didn’t get surgery.

“If I didn’t get surgery on this, it’d be a four-month recovery, but with the surgery, I can hopefully dial it back in two months.”

The full interview with McClure is available below.

From Standardbred Canada