A JOCKEY'S teeth were 'absolutely destroyed' and left needing £11,500 reconstruction work after she was headbutted by a horse.
Amy Graham was rushed to hospital with multiple head injuries after an unruly runner smashed her mouth during morning work.
She posted a selfie from her hospital bed giving a big thumbs up.
But that appeared to be a result of the morphine kicking in, as she admitted her teeth were now a horror show.
Apprentice rider Graham wrote next to the post: "2023 off to a flying start. Headbutted by a horse, teeth absolutely destroyed. Potentially broke my jaw too.
Horse racing tips: Templegate NAP benefits from superstar Hollie Doyle getting the ride at Newcastle
"I'm doing OK guys, thanks for the messages. Morphine is a beautiful thing."
Trainer John Zielke said the incident occured at Gold Coast Turf Club in Queensland, Australia, on Wednesday morning.
He told racenet: "The horse threw its head back and hit her in the mouth.
"It knocked a couple of teeth out. The dentist said she has to get a £11,500 mouth reconstruction.
"I told her if she wanted new teeth she could find better ways to do it.
"She will have to have a week off now."
Graham was with Chris Caserta when the jockey died after venturing out into the sea for a late-night swim in December 2021.
Police sadly found 26-year-old Caserta's body after an intensive search.
Graham said she was traumatised by the ordeal.
Recalling the horrific incident, she said: "I thought I was going to die, I tried my best to save him, keep him calm and breathe without struggling myself.
Horse racing tips: This 17-2 chance running over ideal trip is one of three place punts on Monday
"But we just kept getting dunked over and over and over again. It happened so fast, we just got dragged out.
"We didn’t even go that far but the ocean took us out. I didn’t even want to go in but I couldn’t let him go in alone."
Frankie Dettori recently paid tribute to Caserta, saying he was a 'great rider'.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
