IRISH jockey Brian Toomey has returned to the saddle two years after suffering a fall that almost killed him.
The Limerick man was given a three per cent chance of surviving having been placed in an induced coma after coming off Solway Dandy in Perth in July 2013.
He spent two weeks in the coma and endured a spell of 157 nights in hospital.
However, Toomey, who was re-issued with a riding licence enabling him to compete again just last month, has defied the odds and made his comeback in the 4.20 at Southwell on Sunday.
Riding Phil Kirby’s Kings Grey, the 26-year-old’s return did not pan out as he would have wanted as he was forced to pull up.
However, the fact that he is able to compete again is a fairytale in itself, and he’s eager to get back into the swing of regular racing.
He said: “It’s brilliant to be back but I am glad today [Sunday] is out of the way. Hopefully I’ll get my career back now. The rest of the lads in the weighing room were glad to see me back and I am available now to whoever wants me.
“I felt relaxed enough but the horse just didn’t feel 100 per cent. He looked a good thing on paper but he just didn’t feel right and I couldn’t ask him to carry on.
“I’ve a point to prove now, I’ve worked very hard to get here and I wouldn’t have got back if it didn’t mean the world to me. My family have been through hell. They remember when it first happened but I don’t.”
