Thornton faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines Jockey Robert Thornton is expected to be out for a year after a scan on an injured knee revealed severe ligament damage. Thornton appeared to have avoided serious injury when Hell's Bay crashed out in a beginners' chase at Newton Abbot on Monday. Although X-rays confirmed there had been no fracture, a subsequent MRI scan revealed Thornton's injuries to have been far more serious than first feared. He is now due to undergo an operation on Thursday at St Mary's Hospital in Bristol. Thornton told the Daily Mail: "You have four main ligaments in your knee and I have only got one left. "They will have to use ligament taken from my left hamstring. "I have been told to expect to be out for 12 months and hopefully work back from that. "I will be trying my best to make it as near to six months as I can. "I was devastated when I was told. I had been wearing a leg brace and the swelling seemed to have gone down."
