The scuttlebutt from Hong Kong is that champ Darren Beadman's riding career could be over. Beadman, 46, suffered a broken right cheekbone and head trauma in a fall in a February 17 barrier trial and doctors at first told him it would be 6 to 8 weeks out of riding. But the plot thickens. 'Micro-bleeds' and 'nerve damage' in his brain may require a longer time to heal properly. The docs won't be taking any risks with this type of injury.....just like they are now much more careful about the effect

The scuttlebutt from Hong Kong is that champ Darren Beadman's riding career could be over. Beadman, 46, suffered a broken right cheekbone and head trauma in a fall in a February 17 barrier trial and doctors at first told him it would be 6 to 8 weeks out of riding. But the plot thickens. 'Micro-bleeds' and 'nerve damage' in his brain may require a longer time to heal properly. The docs won't be taking any risks with this type of injury.....just like they are now much more careful about the effects of concussion injuries in field sports. The nerve damage condition is called diffuse axonal injury. After his trackwork fall Beadman said he heard something 'snap' on the horse and he didn't remember anything until waking up in the ambulance. So he must have hit the dirt hard, and the initial diagnosis of just a cheekbone fracture was inadequate.