Tamworth junior harness racing reinsman Scotty Welsh returned home on Monday after spending more than a week in Newcastle due to a fractured wrist sustained in a race fall at his home track on May 7. Seventeen year old Welsh had one metal plate and ten screws inserted into his left wrist and is unsure when he will be able to return to the sulky.
"I am missing it, the day after the fall I thought I'd just start concentrating on training once I recovered but I am really looking forward to getting back out there and driving in races again," said Welsh.
"My surgeon is unsure how long it will take to recover because it was a very serious fracture, he does 200 wrists operations every year and said he has only ever seen five injuries like mine."
Welsh was transported to Tamworth hospital after the fall and was then taken to Newcastle several days later.
"The ambulance officers cut my colours off me and I nearly passed out when I saw my wrist, I was taken to Tamworth on the Thursday afternoon, then on the Monday they took me down to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle and then I was transferred to Newcastle Private on Thursday before the operation last Friday."
"It was very sore initially but it isn't as bad now as it was when it first happened because the painkillers work very well but I will definitely be out for the rest of the season."
Welsh is unsure of what he will do after finishing school but confirmed it will involve horses.
"I'm in Year 12 at the moment so the injury has come at a pretty bad time for me but I have spoken to the school and they're going to help me with all of the work that I have missed."
"I'm not really set on anything after this year, I am looking at going to university to study equine science or something like that but I will wait and see what happens, whatever I do will include harness racing as a hobby that's for sure."
Welsh has driven seven winners since having his first career drive on March 8th 2014.
Greg Hayes