Racing: Son's injury reinforces call

Senior jockey Noel Harris is making an official request for changes to the Wairoa racecourse running rail after his son Troy broke both legs in a racefall there on Sunday.

Harris said he was horrified to learn that the piped uprights of the running rail at Wairoa are concreted into the ground.

Throughout New Zealand, the old wooden running rails have gradually been changed to either aluminium or piped plastic, both of which are collapsible under the impact of a horse or jockey hitting them.

The uprights are screwed into the track and move with impact.

Harris said he was trying not to create controversy, but wanted the concreted uprights replaced to avoid a repeat of Sunday's horrific incident.

Troy Harris' mount Blarney Star collapsed during a race with a suspected heart attack.

Thomas Russell was uninjured when his mount crashed over the top of Blarney Star.

"From what I could see, the horse did not hit the upright, but Troy did," said Russell yesterday.

"The impact lifted the piece of concrete on the end of the upright 1 metre out of the ground."

Noel Harris said you have to look at the positive.

"As bad as it was, imagine if it had been Troy's head or his back, he would have been no more," said Harris. "I don't want to see it happen again.

"I spoke to Troy after the accident and he said: "I hit a concrete post, Dad" and I thought he'd got things mixed up because he was in shock, but Thomas told me he was right."

Troy Harris had a titanium rod inserted in the worst affected of the two legs on Sunday night, the one in which the broken bone had pierced the skin.

"They did the other leg with the titanium rod yesterday and everything has gone well.

"They've said he could be transferred from Hastings Hospital to Waikato in 10 days.

"They've also said that because they were clean breaks he could be walking in six to eight weeks."

Lance O'Sullivan, who endured so much with a similar injury on one leg after a racefall in Melbourne, has offered to assist when Harris begins rehabilitation.

"Lance's case is a classic example. He hit the running rail with his leg, imagine what would have happened if it hadn't collapsed."

Troy Harris has been on morphine and has drifting in an out of consciousness, but was eating a plate of pears when contacted by his father yesterday. Noel Harris said he also has an issue with the Avondale running rail.

"They have a moveable aluminium rail which is used for every raceday, except when it comes to Avondale Cup day the club goes back to the wooden rail.

"I first brought it up two years ago and a letter was sent by the Jockeys' Association. This is the 21st century, you can't have these rails."