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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
The extent of Blake Shinn’s leg injury
Andrew Slevison • November 5th, 2025 1:42 pm
Blake Shinn has suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg as a result of his fall at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.
The 38-year-old came off She’s Got Pizzazz in Race 9 at headquarters and was later taken to hospital after being tended to on the track.
His mount went down when Fancify, ridden by Melbourne Cup winner Jamie Melham, shifted out at the 200-metre mark of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes.
Shinn messaged prominent owner John O’Neill to let him know the extent of his injuries which will require the insertion of a metal rod to keep things in place.
“I just text him earlier to see how he was,” O’Neill said on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.
“He said, ‘I have broken my left tibia and my fibula and they are putting a rod in my leg this afternoon’.
“Our thoughts go out with him. I have to be honest, he was on the track for 15 to 20 minutes and it was the most horrendous time. We’ve had this tragic situation with Tommy Prebble (who recently had a life-changing fall at Warrnambool).
“Again, I think we need to appreciate lightweight jockeys on horses that are 500 to 550kg riding as tight as they do.
“Blakey, we wish you all the best mate. These blokes work that hard on their weight and their fitness and their ability to remain alert, it’s incredible.
“I haven’t seen anybody work harder than Blakey consistently. He went to Hong Kong and he’s had to work hard on his weight. He’s come back here and done it.”
O’Neill and trainer Wayne Hawkes speculated that Shinn would be our for a lengthy period of time, at least six months. That is yet to be confirmed.
Shinn rode Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s Vauban into sixth in the Melbourne Cup just two races prior to his fall. He posted a photo on social media from his hospital bed, thankful that She’s Got Pizzazz had come through unscathed.
The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman mare was reported by RV Stewards to have been lame in the off fore after the race.
