Sam Spinner out for season as pelvic injury leaves trainer Jedd O’Keeffe ‘gutted’

Sam Spinner's season-ending pelvic injury could have happened when he made this blunder at Doncaster - one that saw Joe Colliver miraculously stay in the saddle.

Jedd O’Keeffe’s stable star, one of the most exciting National Hunt prospects in the country, was prominent in the ante-post betting for the RSA Chase at Cheltenham after winning all his three starts over fences.

Joe Colliver defies gravity with miraculous recovery as Sam Spinner strikes again at Doncaster

Following two successes at Wetherby, Sam Spinner completed a hat-trick with a 38-length romp over Brian Ellison’s highly-regarded Windsor Avenue in a Grade Two novice chase on Town Moor earlier this month.

Sam Spinner, the mount of Joe Colliver, is out for the remainder of the National Hunt season.

The win saw jockey Joe Colliver complete a miraculous recovery after the former Grade One-winning hurdler, owned by Caron and Paul Chapman, ploughed through a fence.

Leyburn-based O’Keeffe tweeted: “Very sad to report that Sam Spinner has suffered a pelvic injury and won’t run again this season. With luck he’ll be back 100% next year.”

The trainer, on his 51st birthday, then released a fuller statement. “Obviously, we’re all gutted. We were completely happy with him after the race (at Doncaster). He seemed in great order,” he said.

“It was just having had two weeks’ easy light exercise, he returned on Sunday to have a hack canter. We weren’t happy with him, and this morning the vets identified a small pelvic injury we believe probably happened during the race.

“He’s a lovely horse, and we’ve got a great team looking after him to make sure he has a great year next year.”