WENDY PEEL SUFFERS CRUEL SETBACK JUST DAYS AFTER HER LANDMARK FIRST METROPOLITAN WIN

By Graham Potter | Thursday, September 17, 2020

The ebb and flow of the tide of fortune in racing was again very much in evidence in the story of apprentice jockey Wendy Peel this week with Peel being dealt a cruel blow just days after gaining her first Saturday metropolitan winner aboard the Paul Butterworth trained Canapes at Doomben last Saturday.

On Saturday Peel’s winning smile, the salute, the fist-pump and her all-around glow of victory aptly summed up her landmark win.

On Sunday, Peel put a post on Facebook: ‘Canapés!! What a day, to ride my first metro winner for my master Paul Butterworth on my favourite horse in the stable!! This is certainly my biggest highlight of my career so far! I am so grateful for everyone’s support from my friends & family, to the connections & all of the stable staff! Thankyou everyone for the support & I look forward to what is ahead of the rest of my apprenticeship!’

Just three days later, that story took a dramatic downward turn … as trainer Paul Butterworth explained, talking at Eagle Farm yesterday..

“Unfortunately, she was riding one of my horses in the jump-outs at Deagon on Tuesday,” said Butterworth. “The jump-out had finished. When we were returning to the tie-ups. There is a very small fence there on the right-hand side when you come back. It is just above my knee height.

“She was on a really big horse and as she was coming back to the tie-ups he sort of got keen to get back and he turned right a bit too early and went straight into the little fence which he didn’t see. When he hit it, he has panicked and tried to jump it. He leapt and threw her

"There is grass and dirt there and Wendy landed on the hard dirt and, unfortunately, she broke her hip and she has been booked for surgery at 4.30 today (Wednesday).

“She’s been terrific. She has worked her butt off to get where she has got. This is obviously an unfortunate setback … but Wendy is a very determined person.

“She’ll be back. I have no doubt about that.”

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