Mick on Monday: Michael McNab avoids broken bones in Te Rapa fall but premiership hangs in balance

Michael McNab was hospitalised after a fall at Te Rapa on Saturday. Photo / Supplied

Superstar jockey Michael McNab will know today whether a spectacular fall at Te Rapa on Saturday could prove costly to his premiership defence.

McNab was taken to hospital after being thrown from Takeshi in the home straight when his horse was tightened by Silver Javelin in the eighth race.

Takeshi dipped, his head hitting the track before he bounced up and severely hampered Don’t Look Ethel, who also dislodged jockey Joe Nishizuka.

Nishizuka was unhurt as were the two horses but McNab was taken to hospital for observation.

In-form apprentice Ngakau Hailey was found guilty of causing the incident and suspended for a month, starting next Monday.

McNab was back home yesterday with no broken bones but a sore neck and back and says he will know on Monday whether he will have to miss his next scheduled race meeting at Pukekohe on Wednesday.

“I am pretty sore but I know it could have been a lot worse,” says McNab, who is locked at 119-all in his premiership battle with Warren Kennedy.

“I hope I am good to go for Wednesday but I think I will know more on Monday when I go back to the doctor and I may even need to have an MRI.”

TAB bookies have suspended the premiership market until McNab’s immediate availability is known, with the two-time defending champion the $1.30 favourite for the title and Kennedy out to $3 after McNab made up a huge deficit in the last month.

If McNab is sidelined for even a week it could have an enormous impact on his title defence as both he and Kennedy have five straight days with meetings they can ride at starting on Wednesday.

The premiership battle looms as the highlight of the remainder of the season and McNab admits after winning the title by 47 wins last season and 32 the year before he is up for a fight to the finish.

“I want it to go down to the last meeting of the season,” he explains.

“I’d love it to be a real battle and to get the rush of winning it like that, rather than winning it comfortably. That is of course if I win it at all.”

While McNab and Kennedy will be riding at most meetings for the remainder of the season if they stay injury and suspension-free, the next three jockeys on the premiership table are all taking their winter break from riding.

Craig Grylls and Joe Doyle have already gone overseas while Opie Bosson won’t ride again until probably the new season.

“It has been a really good season and my body has handled it better this year than I did a few years ago,” Bosson said in relation to his past battles making riding weight.

There is plenty going on in the jockey’s ranks with Lisa Allpress, who sits sixth on the premiership as our leading female rider, booked to ride in Japan in August where she will also be a speaker at the Asian Racing Conference.

Caitlyn’s Wish winning for Maria Sanson. Photo / Race Images

Kylie Williams moved up to 10th equal with Sam Spratt on the premiership with two wins at Riccarton on Thursday taking her to a new personal best season’s tally of 59 wins.

Maria Sanson has one of her best days in the saddle at Te Rapa on Saturday, riding an early double with Barcelona and Caitlyn’s Wish, albeit copping a suspension for the first ride.

One of the biggest movers on the premiership has been Masa Hashizume whose 53 wins are 20 more than his previous best season and he has ridden seven black type winners this term having only won two in his career before the start of the season.

The premiership battles aren’t just confined to McNab and Kennedy, with Niranjan Parmar and Lily Sutherland competing for the apprentice jockey’s title.

Parmar leads by five (48-43) but has been suspended from June 27 till June 8 which could cost him riding at up to nine meetings and while Sutherland probably won’t ride at all of them she gets a great chance to level up before Parmer returns with three weeks of the season remaining.