A deeply disappointed Zac Purton has bowed to medical advice and abandoned efforts to ride at the first meeting of the new season after a scan of the jockey's damaged right ankle has revealed a small fracture and two torn ligaments, reports HK Racing Post.
Purton was kicked by another horse on Wednesday as he was taking Perpetual Treasure to the start for a barrier trial, with the hoof catching him flush on the point of the ankle.
While he was in considerable pain after the incident, the jockey was yesterday so surprised at the results from the scan taken later that day that he sought a second opinion when his first specialist told him he could not ride tomorrow, but the result was the same.
"If it was up to me, I'd be back riding at the trials on Saturday, let alone Sunday - I feel that good," Purton said.
"But the scan says otherwise, so I have to listen to the advice of the doctors and rest it.
"It's really disappointing. I had good rides on Sunday and the following week as well and I was hoping to start with a bang.
"Something like this is just sheer bad luck.
"At least it happened at the very start of the season and not later when it might have had a bigger impact."
The silver lining on the bad news is that the second specialist told Purton he might be ready to clear him as early as September 17 when the jockey is expected to see him again.
"He could see how comfortably I was moving on the ankle and he's confident I should be right by then," Purton said. "It's not good news, but it could be worse."
The 32-year-old 2013-14 champion jockey bemoaned his a difficult run with similar "flukey" types of injuries over the past two years, which have flared up out of nowhere.
"I did have a fall last season at Sha Tin and tore some ligaments in the side of my foot, but you wouldn't say it was serious, I walked away from it," Purton said.
"My other injuries have been things you couldn't really see coming.
"In the past two years, I've had two bouts of kidney stones, tore a hamstring, damaged cartilage in my ribs and had a back spasm with a bulging disc last season.
"And then there was the fractured heel I was carrying without knowing it that ended up cutting short my Japan contract last year. Nothing major, but a series of minor incidents that have just kept ticking up."
Purton's persistence in an effort to gain his clearance yesterday will come as encouragement for the stand-by jockeys who were declared on Thursday for his rides as a precaution.
Purton is to be replaced on Bernard's Choice and Real Generous by Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, on Mellifluent and Acumen by Nash Rawiller, Metallic Star and Presidentparamount by Douglas Whyte, on Domineer by Neil Callan, Supreme Profit by Chad Schofield and Jetwings by Matthew Chadwick.