Chad Schofield has announced his intention to return to race riding early next season.
Schofield, 20, was one of three jockeys to fall in a race at Cranbourne on June 8, a day after winning his fourth Group 1 in eight months aboard Sonntag in the Queensland Derby (2400m).
X-ray scans revealed two fractures in Schofield’s C3 vertebra. The injury didn’t require surgery but Schofield was forced to wear a neck brace to stabilise his neck in his recovery.
Schofield posted a message to Twitter on Monday afternoon, saying that his latest x-ray results revealed his neck had “healed fully, which means I can begin my rehab with the aim to resume riding on the 9th of August”.
Flemington will host its first meeting for the season on August 9, a nine-race card headlined by the $150,000 Group 3 Aurie's Star Handicap (1200m).