Champion Australian jockey Darren Beadman has suffered a fractured cheekbone in a barrier trial mishap, the Hong Kong Jockey Club has reported.
Beadman was taken to hospital after he was dislodged from a horse in a trial at Sha Tin on Friday morning.
His misfortune puts him out of Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting and trainer John Moore has moved quickly to secure the services of Melbourne jockey Damien Oliver to replace Beadman on five mounts for the stable.
Moore has five runners in Sunday’s feature race, the Hong Kong Classic Cup, and Beadman was engaged to ride the four-year-old Dan Excel.
Dan Excel is the least experienced of Moore’s quintet and needs a strong result to qualify for the upcoming Hong Kong Derby.
Oliver had earlier been granted HKJC permission to ride Irian for Moore in next weekend’s Group One Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Beadman is the second Hong Kong-based Australian jockey in a week to be injured.
Brett Prebble fractured his collarbone in a fall at Sha Tin last Saturday.
Prebble is third on the Hong Kong jockeys’ premiership with 27 winners – three ahead of fifth-placed Beadman.