Popular Warrnambool jumps jockey Braidon Small will miss the rest of the jumping season after a race fall at Casterton late last month.
Small was found to have sustained micro-fractures and severe bruising to his right knee following the fall from Wayed To Go in a maiden hurdle.
“The season is over for me,” said Small, son of legendary jockey Cyril. “It wasn’t the fall that caused my problems but getting cleaned up by Teewaters, who was travelling behind me.
“It’s a terrible way to finish the season. My knee’s badly bruised and still really sore. The doctors reckon it could take up to three months to heal.
“I’ve just been taking things easy since the fall. I can’t do much.”
Small, whose best result this year was a second on the Aaron Purcell-trained Instigator in this year’s Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase, says he’s looking forward to the 2026 jumps season with confidence.
“I can’t wait for next season,” he said.
“It was a career highlight of mine to ride Instigator into second place in the Annual. The Annual is the race every jumps jockeys want to win. It’s our grand final.
“I didn’t have many rides this season because I’ve been loyal to (trainers) Aaron Purcell and Quinton Scott, who didn’t have many jumpers this season.
“Like a lot of other jumps trainers they never got the chance to restock their stables with jumpers because the officials only announced jumps racing was going on a few weeks before it started.
“I’m sure there’ll be more jumpers in 2026 as owners and trainers have a lot more confidence about the future of the sport.”
One of Small’s career highlights was a win on Two Hats in the Galleywood Hurdle at the 2018 Warrnambool May carnival.
Home shows heart
Honest Warrnambool galloper Home Rule added a fourth city victory to his record at Caulfield last Saturday.
The Maddie Raymond and Patrick Bell-trained Home Rule ($31) hung on to defeat True To Form in a 1400-metre benchmark 78.
Bell said he’d been quietly confident about the seven-year-old, who’d missed the start at his previous run.
Saturday’s win took Home Rule’s stake earnings to $401,610 with eight wins from 35 starts.
Jump to it
Local racing heads to Hamilton this Sunday for an all-jumps meeting. Highlight of the six-race card are the $75,000 Brendan Drechsler Hurdle and the $75,000 Mosstropper Steeplechase, with full form in this edition.