O'Connor set for spell on the sidelines with shoulder injury

Derek O’Connor looks set for a short spell on the sidelines after he picked up a shoulder injury following a fall at Castletown Geoghegan on Sunday.

The 11-time national champion had enjoyed a positive start to the new season when riding a double from his two rides on the season-opening card at Toomebridge on Saturday, including aboard Boomtime Banker (pictured), however luck was not on his side 24 hours later at Castletown-Geoghegan.

O’Connor was aboard the favourite, Flamenco De Kerser, in the opener at the Westmeath venue, the Compas Stallions (My Dreamboat) four-year-old maiden, when Pat Doyle’s charge came down at the eighth fence whilst in front at the time.

Writing in his 'Straight to the Point' column in the Racing Post Point-to-Point Weekly supplement, O’Connor gave more details on the nature of his shoulder injury.

“It wasn’t a bad fall, but I ended up getting a kick that has left me with a broken shoulder blade,” he wrote.

“It’s far from the worst injury but obviously it’s a disappointing setback coming so close to the start of the season. I’ll know a bit more when I see a specialist on Wednesday, but I hope to be back in action in three or four weeks.”