Leading Queensland jockey Jim Byrne will miss the rest of the summer carnival and possibly the season after breaking a leg in a race fall.
Byrne was scheduled for surgery after the fall on Wednesday but doctors decided to delay the operation until swelling went down in his leg.
His manager Cameron Partington said Byrne faced at least three months on the sidelines and possibly more.
“He is obviously in pain and is in a cast. They will operate some time in the next few days when the swelling goes down,” Partington said.
“They are saying three to six months on the sidelines. There is no better healer than Jim so you never say never, but he is out for a good stint.”
Byrne was well on his way to winning his fifth metropolitan jockeys title with 37 winners for the season to have a lead of 6-1/2 over apprentice Baylee Nothdurft.
He was dislodged from second-placed Kavak about 150m past the winning post in the Listed Phelan Ready Stakes at Doomben on Wednesday when three of the four jockeys in the race came off.
Byrne was taken to hospital complaining of leg pain while Larry Cassidy, who rode War Memorial, was stood down for the rest of the day.
Luke Currie, who rode the winner Rathlin, was cleared to ride Away Game who won the Listed Calaway Gal Stakes.