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Chris Parnham Requires Foot Operation

3 minute read

Crack Perth jockey Chris Parnham requires surgery and may be out of the saddle for up to five weeks.

Chris Parnham
Chris Parnham Picture: Racing and Sports

Parnham plans to undergo an operation to remove a plate from his left foot while he serves a double suspension that runs for 22 days.

The plat ws inserted after 20-year-old Parnham broke his foot in a fall at Cranbourne in Victoria 15 months ago.

He started his suspensions on Sunday and expects his recovery from the foot operation to delay his return to riding until late June.

“I’m 95 per cent sure the plate will be coming out. I’ll be out for a good four or five weeks,” Parnham said.

Parnham will be in a race against time to be fit to ride Railway Stakes winner when the Group One winer starts his winter campaign next month.

The Lindsey Smith-trained Scales Of Justice was ridden by Parnham when he won a 950m trial at Lark Hill on Monday.

The brilliant winner of the Railway Stakes (1600m) in November has been set for the G3 Belmont Sprint (1400m), G3 Hyperion Stakes (1600m) and G3 Strickland Stakes (1600m) in June and July.

Scales Of Justice was spelled after he finished second in the G1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot after his Railway Stakes win.

Smith considered a trip to the east for the Sydney and Brisbane carnivals but decided said the program of weight-for-age races in Perth over the winter was a better fit for the risi8ng five-year-old before a Melbourne spring campaign.

"He's still a bit soft and he got a little bit tired so he will trial again in a couple of weeks," Smith said after Monday’s trial win.

"I'm happy with what he did today."

Scales Of Justice has never missed a place in 14 starts and won more than $1.1 million prizemoney.

Smith has won G1 races in Melbourne with Old Comrade (Australian Cup) and Plastered (Victoria Derby) and is looking forward to the spring with Scales Of Justice where he has the G1 Toorak Handicap top of his list of targets.


Racing and Sports

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