Angland to return next week

By Mike Hedge

HONG KONG, April 29 AAP - Tye Angland gives the impression that if someone would have legged him up, he would have got back into the saddle within days of breaking his arm and leg and dislocating his shoulder in a race fall.

As it is, his return to racing in Hong Kong next weekend, three months after his fall, has amazed his greatest admirers and earned high praise from his rival jockeys.

Angland tested his fitness with a trial ride at Sha Tin on Friday, declaring himself ready to go.

"It all felt great, really good, it was like I haven't been away," Angland said.

For Angland, being away was never going to be easy.

Within hours of the fall, he was on a plane to Australia to attend a mate's wedding.

Doctors in Hong Kong had put his arm back into its socket, even though the bone had snapped just below the shoulder.

"They said I'd need an operation, but I decided I'd have it after I got home," he said.

Three days after his fall Angland underwent surgery and began preparations for his recovery.

"That was on the Wednesday, but after the painkillers wore off the next day, my leg started to hurt pretty bad," he said.

"I could hear it click when I walked, but the pain hadn't been that bad till then."

An X-ray revealed a fracture of his lower leg.

Angland spent most of his recovery time in Australia, returning to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago to resume a career that had just begun to take off at the time of his accident.

"If you want to improve as a jockey, this is the place to be," he said.

"The racing's great, everyone in the world is watching it and you have the chance to see some of the best riders in the world riding in one the greatest competitive atmospheres."

Fellow Australian jockey Brett Prebble and Hong Kong's 11-time champion rider, South Africa's Douglas Whyte, are major role models for the 21-year-old Angland.

"It's not just about riding styles, it's about tactics and how they conduct themselves," he said.

"You see Brett and Douglas at the track every morning hunting around at track work to gallop as many as they can just so they get to know as many horses as possible."

For his part, Prebble is one jockey in Hong Kong who is also keeping an eye on Angland.

"Tye got into it here as soon as he arrived," Prebble said.

"He rode winners right from the start and earned a lot of respect."

Angland began his Hong Kong stay seven months ago and had ridden 11 winners in the four months before his accident.

His mission now is to take up where he left off and, hopefully, have his licence renewed for next season.

"If you want it, you want it - and you do everything you can to get it," Angland said.