Blackmore 'fully conscious' after Killarney fall

Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore was sent to hospital yesterday after suffering a suspected upper leg injury in a heavy fall at Killarney.

The 32-year-old was onboard Merry Poppins when she was unseated at the fifth obstacle.

Blackmore had earlier ridden Baltinglass Hill to a nose victory but was unable to continue after her fall in the following race.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board posted an update on Twitter regarding her condition, with Dr Richard Downey reporting her to be conscious as she headed off for a full examination.

The tweet said: "Rachael Blackmore is being taken to Tralee Hospital for further assessment on an upper leg injury following a fall in Race 4 at Killarney. She is fully conscious."

Options open for Mishriff

Connections could send Mishriff to the York Stakes for his next outing, although the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes appear to be their preference.

John and Thady Gosden's colt was last seen finishing third of four in the Eclipse at Sandown and those in and around have since been weighing up their options.

Both possible entries are on Saturday week but a trip to the Knavesmire for the Group Two would see him give plenty of weight to his rivals. However, it would be a different story if he heads to Ascot.

Either race would likely give him time to recover ahead of another potential York outing in the Juddmonte International on August 18.

Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal, says both options are on the table but admits it could prove more favourable for the Gosdens to send him to Berkshire.

Voute said: "He might go to York, or he might go to the King George. He's got to give away a lot more weight at York as he gets a Group One penalty there as well as [giving away] the age allowance. It's in John's hands."

Tabdeed primed for Newbury defence

Owen Burrows reports Tabdeed to be raring to go as he eyes back-to-back victories in the Hackwood Stakes.

The six-year-old heads to Newbury today on the back of finishing fourth last month at Newcastle, his first run for 294 days.

Fitness issues have limited his exposure to just 10 starts in five years but he demonstrated his class when recovering from an awkward start to score by half a length under Jim Crowley in last year's Hackwood.

Crowley is back on board for today's renewal and Burrows appears quietly confident ahead of what he expects to be a competitive Group Three contest.

He said: "I've been very pleased with him since the Chipchase and I was pleased with the run.

"Conditions are very similar to last year, so it would be nice if the result could be the same.

"There are only seven in it but you could make a case for all of them."

Fresh investment increases Hong Kong draw

An increase in prize money means Hong Kong will stage the world's most lucrative Group Ones over 6f, 7f, 1m and 1m2f in 2021-22.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club have decided to invest extra money to reward domestic owners and attract more foreign trainers.

Hong Kong's total prize money will equal £136.2million, with the Hong Kong Cup now worth £2.8m, joining the Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Sprint (6f) and the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (7f) atop their respective categories.

Group twos and threes have also been upgraded in a move that Hong Kong Jockey Club executive director Andrew Harding believes will help both boost competition and attract further interest in the territory's racing scene.

He said: "Despite the issues associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty in world economies, we are committed to continuing our strategy of strong increases in purse levels to reward and encourage our owners and to ensure Hong Kong's elite races are attractive to overseas competitors."