Jockey Robbie Dunne is facing a spell on the sidelines after breaking his collarbone in a fall from Stellar Story during the Grand National at Aintree. The pair parted company at the 19th fence of 30 in the Randox-sponsored event on Saturday, which was won by Willie Mullins-trained favourite I Am Maximus.
Dunne was attended to by the on-course medical team after Stellar Story rolled onto him on the landing side of the spruce obstacle. He was taken to nearby Fazakerley Hospital for scans and later discharged, with a family member picking him up.
His agent Neil Popham said: “Robbie broke his collarbone in the fall. The horse rolled onto him and he is a bit stiff and sore. The race was going well up to that point so it was a shame. The injury should keep him on the sidelines for about a month but he’ll be working with the staff at Oaksey House in Lambourn to get back as quick as he can.”
Stellar Story, a Grade One winner at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, was running over three miles two furlongs for the first time. Dunne was one of 14 riders who fell or were unseated during the marathon contest, leaving 16 horses and jockeys to complete the four-and-a-quarter-mile course.
I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend, became the first thoroughbred since Red Rum in the 1970s to carry top weight and regain his crown. Owner JP McManus also had the second-placed Iroko and fourth-placed Johnnywho. Meanwhile, Top Of The Bill and Quai De Bourbon returned to their stables after assessment, but Mr Vango remains in Leahurst Equine Hospital with a neck fracture. Trainer Sara Bradstock said the horse is expected to make a full recovery.
