Fit-again Sammy Jo Bell thrilled to be back with two rides at Wolverhampton

Sammy Jo Bell was out of luck on her first two rides back from serious injury at Wolverhampton on Monday but was still delighted to be back in action.The highly-rated apprentice had to spend several weeks in a wheelchair after undergoing a pelvic operation following a heavy fall at Carlisle last May.Bell was unseated when her mount reared up and then fell on top of her on the way down to the start.And while i nitial examinations suggested Bell had escaped serious injury, it later transpired she required surgery. She returned to work riding at Richard Fahey's Malton base in early January and had two rides for him at Dunstall Park. While neither Boogie Babe nor Miss Goldsmith were competitive in theirrespectiveraces, Bell was nevertheless pleased to get the rides under her belt. "Everything went well, just as I'd hoped it would," Bell told Press Association Sport. "I've had two months of riding out in the morning - up to eight lots a day - but obviously race riding is a bit different. "I've been doing a lot of work with Kevin Darley (jockeys' coach) and all the people at Jack Berry House have got me as fit as possible. "It's just a case of building everything back up to where I was before my injury now - contacts and everything else - but it was important I got the ball rolling again so hopefully I can kick on from here. "The first day is the most important and thankfully it went well - apart from not winning!" Fran Berry is another jockey who had been out of action for a sustained period and enjoyed his first winner back since his return when h e partnered Ralph Beckett's Lacan (11-8 favourite) to victory in the claimer.