Shinn returns to trackwork after injury

Blake Shinn has ridden trackwork for the first time in months after being out with a neck injury.

Star jockey Blake Shinn has returned to trackwork for the first time in almost five months after recovering from neck fractures suffered in a fall in a barrier trial.

Shinn received the go-ahead earlier this week to return to trackwork and rode five horses at Randwick on Thursday.

“This morning was a great feeling, to drive into Randwick in the early hours about 4 o’clock,” Shinn told RSN927.

‘It was nice to be able to do that with my riding gear and get back doing the job that I love, riding racehorses.

“I was a little bit anxious. I was anxious to see how I would actually feel. To see whether I would have the same feeling … but in terms of getting back on, I wasn’t nervous or anything like that.

“Once I got on the first horse and was trotting around there I had a little quiet moment to myself and I’m like ‘this feels good, feels no different’.”

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Shinn said physically he felt good afterwards.

“I’ve really made sure in the past few months that I was ready to come back,” he said.

“I feel my body and mind needed to be as strong as before because you never know what can happen.

“I was ready to go this morning and I’m just looking forward to the upcoming weeks and building up to getting into a race.”

Shinn is scheduled to ride in trials at Randwick on Friday and Rosehill on Tuesday before making a call when he returns to the races.

Shinn last rode in a race on August 11 and his last winner was Thinkin’ Big on July 28 at Rosehill.

Thinkin’ BIg went on to win two Group Three races in spring and ran third in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes.