Jockey Tom Bellamy has described losing his helmet in a horror fall that left him with 11 broken ribs. Riding Court In A Storm in a race at Worcester on Sunday, the thoroughbred came down at the final fence of a 2m 4f handicap chase. At The Oche and Harry Skelton were also brought down in the incident.
Bellamy was taken to hospital in the city, where an X-ray revealed injuries that could keep him off the track until October at the earliest. The damage was caused by one of the horses crashing into him as he landed on the turf.
Details of the fall
Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily podcast, Bellamy recalled: "I was probably going to finish third. I was beginning to get in the motion of riding a finish and the horse went down."
He added: "I have broken 11 ribs, eight of which are on one side. Both my lungs deflated and one had to be drained – that was the worst bit of it. I have broken my sternum and scapula – my shoulder blade."
Bellamy, who enjoyed his best ever season in 2025/26 with 67 winners over jumps, said his first two days in hospital were 'rough', but he had been cheered up by visits from several of his weighing room colleagues.
No helmet on landing
"I don't know if it was my horse or Harry's or whatever but I landed with no helmet on," Bellamy added. "The chin strap would have been done up properly. It was a fair old blow and I was surprised I didn't lose consciousness."
Kim Bailey, who trains Court In A Storm with Mat Nicholls in the Cotswolds, said on his daily blog that the three-time winner 'seems fine'. "Whoever said jockeys have a easy time.. especially jump jockeys?" he wrote. "What happened to Tom at Worcester rather sums up just how dangerous the job can be. His fall from Court In A Storm was actually fairly innocuous and he rolled away safely. Unfortunately, the horse alongside (At The Oche) then came down and landed on him, which is where all the damage and broken bones came from."
Recovery hopes
Bailey added: "It's on occasions like this that you suddenly realise just how important the Injured Jockeys Fund is. Once Tom is back on his feet, he'll no doubt be spending plenty of time at Oaksey House in Lambourn, where the IJF provides specialist rehabilitation, physiotherapy, and fitness facilities for injured jockeys."
Bellamy hopes to have recovered in time to be back in the saddle at Chepstow, which hosts the Welsh Racing Festival from October 9-10.
