Fred Kersley to Carry on Training
The wife of legendary horse trainer Fred Kersley has declared he will return to training horses despite his horrific accident on Tuesday.
“It was just a freak accident,” Judith Kersley said of the incident in which her husband was kicked in the face by an unraced two-year-old. “It’s his life, it’s what he loves to do.”
Judith said the couple never discussed the possibility of accidents – though she conceded she had worried about him in his harness racing days. “I guess when he was driving you always had that little thought in the back of your mind,” Mrs Kersley said. “But you can’t go through life worrying about those things, can you? You’d never get anything done. You can say the same about every time you get in a car.”
The 67-year-old racing icon is now resting at home after being released from hospital yesterday. He suffered a broken jaw and nose, several fractures of the skull and cheekbones, and a deep wound to the back of his head. Kersley underwent successful surgery in Royal Perth Hospital, with specialist surgeons operated on him for six hours. He has shown considerable improvement since the accident at Ascot on Tuesday morning.
His daughter, Kellie, said Kersley would return to hospital for major surgery, probably early next week. “The doctors say they can’t operate until the swelling goes down, so it was a matter of him waiting in the hospital until then or coming home, where he’ll be a lot more comfortable with his family,” she said. Kellie Kersley said doctors were confident that her father had not sustained any brain injury. “Our whole family is feeling much better about things than we were 24 hours ago,” Kellie said. “It’s a really positive sign he’s been allowed to come home, even if it’s just for a while, and the doctors are confident he’s escaped any damage to his brain.”
Kersley, who was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital's emergency ward after the accident, requires reconstructive surgery, especially to his top jaw. “That’s all shattered and there are pieces of bone floating around,” Kellie said. “At first they were hoping to avoid that surgery, but there is now no question about it. He'll have it, it’s just a matter of when. They are saying it will be early next week. “They have done all the superficial work, like stitching up the back of his head, which he cut when he landed after the fall, and also stitching back up his top lip. “It’s fair to say he doesn’t look flash at all, but all that matters to us right now is that the doctors are saying he should have a complete recovery.”
Kersley is one of the greatest trainer-drivers in harness-racing history, but achieved even greater fame in the thoroughbred code as trainer of the mighty Northerly. Northerly won 19 of his 34 starts and more than $9.3 million during a wonderful career that included triumphs in a Caulfield Cup, two Cox Plates and two Australian Cups. Kersley is also the trainer of Perth's latest emerging star, Marasco, winner of the Group II Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
- Peter Morley
“It was just a freak accident,” Judith Kersley said of the incident in which her husband was kicked in the face by an unraced two-year-old. “It’s his life, it’s what he loves to do.”
Judith said the couple never discussed the possibility of accidents – though she conceded she had worried about him in his harness racing days. “I guess when he was driving you always had that little thought in the back of your mind,” Mrs Kersley said. “But you can’t go through life worrying about those things, can you? You’d never get anything done. You can say the same about every time you get in a car.”
The 67-year-old racing icon is now resting at home after being released from hospital yesterday. He suffered a broken jaw and nose, several fractures of the skull and cheekbones, and a deep wound to the back of his head. Kersley underwent successful surgery in Royal Perth Hospital, with specialist surgeons operated on him for six hours. He has shown considerable improvement since the accident at Ascot on Tuesday morning.
His daughter, Kellie, said Kersley would return to hospital for major surgery, probably early next week. “The doctors say they can’t operate until the swelling goes down, so it was a matter of him waiting in the hospital until then or coming home, where he’ll be a lot more comfortable with his family,” she said. Kellie Kersley said doctors were confident that her father had not sustained any brain injury. “Our whole family is feeling much better about things than we were 24 hours ago,” Kellie said. “It’s a really positive sign he’s been allowed to come home, even if it’s just for a while, and the doctors are confident he’s escaped any damage to his brain.”
Kersley, who was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital's emergency ward after the accident, requires reconstructive surgery, especially to his top jaw. “That’s all shattered and there are pieces of bone floating around,” Kellie said. “At first they were hoping to avoid that surgery, but there is now no question about it. He'll have it, it’s just a matter of when. They are saying it will be early next week. “They have done all the superficial work, like stitching up the back of his head, which he cut when he landed after the fall, and also stitching back up his top lip. “It’s fair to say he doesn’t look flash at all, but all that matters to us right now is that the doctors are saying he should have a complete recovery.”
Kersley is one of the greatest trainer-drivers in harness-racing history, but achieved even greater fame in the thoroughbred code as trainer of the mighty Northerly. Northerly won 19 of his 34 starts and more than $9.3 million during a wonderful career that included triumphs in a Caulfield Cup, two Cox Plates and two Australian Cups. Kersley is also the trainer of Perth's latest emerging star, Marasco, winner of the Group II Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
- Peter Morley
posted by Liam Webb at 11:16 am
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