Berry Back For Lincoln Mount

Top Irish jockey Fran Berry, sidelined as a result of a fall at the Curragh in August, will return to action on Common World in the William Hill Lincoln at Redcar on Saturday.

Berry was leading the Irish jockeys' title race when his mount Indian Rite broke a leg three furlongs from home in a fillies' maiden on August 20.

'It's great to be back and I'm really looking forward to it now,' Berry said.

'It opens your eyes when you go into those specialist wards and see some of the cases, that's when I realised how lucky I was.

'I got the all-clear to go back to work and I've been riding out for the last month and I got the all-clear from the surgeon to go back race riding about two weeks ago.'

Common World was third in last year's Lincoln, but was first home on the far side from his draw in stall two.

'He was a bit unlucky, the front two came up the stands side and he won his race on his side,' Berry continued.

'Looking back on the race it was a real good race. New Seeker and Stream Of Gold were Group horses and Common World went on to win a Group Three in Germany and a Listed race in Ireland.'

Common World is trained in County Tipperary by Tom Hogan, who is 'hopeful' of another bold showing from the seven-year-old in the #100,000 heritage handicap.

He said: 'He's done well over the winter and he's much stronger than he was at this time last year. He seems in good form and we'd be hopeful.

'Fran rode him in work at the Curragh last Saturday. We took him away because we thought he was just being a bit lazy at home. He worked with some of Mick Halford's horses and he worked very well.'

? PA Sport