Martin Harley avoids spinal injury in sickening fall

Donegal jockey Martin Harley narrowly avoided injuries to his spinal cord.

Harley suffered a sickening fall that resulted in neck fractures.

The Trentagh man moved to Brisbane in November. While aboard Deferetial, the Rob Heathcote-trained horse clipped another runner at Doomben on Wednesday.

Harley won the 2015 King’s Stand Stakes at Ascot and had ridden five winners since going Down Under.

"Martin is an international Group 1 jockey and such a good bloke that we want people to know he's OK," Richard Morrison, the Brisbane Racing Club vice chairman said.

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"His injuries will take time to heal, but he should make a full recovery. They have done the full body scan now, and there are multiple fractures, including two neck fractures.

“There are fractures to the C0 and C1, just at the bottom of the skull, where it joins the neck. The biggest positive to come out of it is that he has escaped any spinal cord damage.”

It is not expected that the 33-year-old will require surgery, but Harley faces around four months of inactivity.

Harley was booked to ride Alpine Edge in the $1m Magic Millions QTIS Open.