Nottingham: Bethell hoping Milteye can help her road to recovery

Harriet Bethell expects stable superstar Milteye to keep her spirits high as she continues her road to recovery from a fall at home by putting up another ‘bold show’ on PricedUp Grassroots Finals Day at Nottingham Racecourse tomorrow (Thursday 2nd October).

Life was turned upside down for the Yorkshire-based trainer in 2019 after she suffered a bleed on the brain and was left with having part of her skull removed, following a fall on the gallops which left her in a coma for six weeks and in hospital for nine months. 

However, two years after the incident Bethell demonstrated the progress she had made in her rehabilitation by raising nearly £60,000 for the Injured Jockeys’ Fund (IJF) in 2021 after walking a circuit of Pontefract racecourse. 

But just as things were looking up for the former jockey, she suffered a setback when falling on her feet two Christmases ago which left her with another bleed on the brain and requiring further hospital treatment. 

Bethell said: “It is quite upsetting to talk about it, but I took a bad fall at home a couple of Christmases ago that put me in hospital with a little bleed on the brain. 

“I’ve also had a few falls since then which thankfully have not been serious enough to put me into hospital. 

“Having spent nine months in hospital I then spent another three or four days in Hull Royal Infirmary and I don’t want to spend more time there.

“I’m not walking fully at the moment and that is pretty heartbreaking, especially after raising all that money for the Injured Jockeys’ Fund in doing a circuit at Pontefract. 

“That was the best day of my life since I had left the hospital after the initial fall as I had so many friends and family come and cheering for me on the day. It was different gravy.

“Pontefract is not an easy track but I’ve got such fond memories of it as I rode my first winner there as a Flat jockey and it is such a family-friendly track.”

Since her last stint in hospital Bethell has continued to make good progress in her journey towards returning towards relative normality. 

And while the road ahead remains an uphill one it is a challenge she is embracing.

She added: “At the moment I go to MOTIONrehab Physiotherapy three times a week which is two hours at a time, and I’ve just recently had an operation on my right Achilles tendon as that was standing in the way of my progress. 

“I’m so pleased that I’ve had that as I’m safer on my feet and less having to use tiptoes. The IJF have been great as they have helped me with the costs of the physio and the operation. 

“I never really knew what fatigue was until I started suffering from it. I last went racing at the beginning of the season when City Captain won, but a day at the races just wipes me out with all the travelling and everything else involved.

“It is hard to tell with a brain injury when I will be back to a kind of normal. It has been six years now since that initial injury and it has been a real mountain full of rocks and boulders along the way, but hopefully we are getting there.”

On the track it has already been a season to savour for Bethell, who has saddled a personal best total of 17 winners to date, which include landing this year’s Carlisle Bell with On The River back in June. 

And now she hopes Milteye, who is yet to finish outside of the first three in eight starts this year since joining her team from Edward O’Grady, can keep that run up in the PricedUp.Bet Grassroots Series Middle Distance Final Handicap (4.35pm) over a mile and a quarter. 

Bethell said: “Winning the Carlisle Bell was huge for us earlier in the season as in running I didn’t think he was going to find anywhere to go, but thankfully he got his head in front at the right time. 

“It’s quite exciting having a runner here. Milteye has been a superstar for us this season as he rarely runs a bad race. 

“Every time he has run this season he has been in the first three. He is in super good form, and we are hopeful of a bold show. 

“There are some higher rated runners in there which could pose a bit of a problem but if they don’t turn up with their A game, we definitely will. 

“The owners were quite keen to go back up to a mile and a quarter with him as he ran really well over the same trip the last time he went to Nottingham. 

“Although he has been on the go since April, he is really fresh. He almost trains himself up the gallops. 

“He is such a sweet little horse that everyone loves him in the yard, and everyone wants to ride him.”