Apprentice hospitalised after Sandown fall

Apprentice Luke Campbell has been transported to Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital following a race fall at Sandown.

Campbell was aboard the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Naval Academy in the Ladbrokes Odds Surge Handicap (1200m) when the gelding appeared to get onto heels and dislodge the rider.

The apprentice was thrown into the air and landed awkwardly with the eventual winner Subrising luckily missing the fallen rider.

Campbell was conscious and moving his limbs but was complaining of knee and shoulder soreness and was taken to hospital for scans and further examination.

Naval Academy further disrupted the field when he raced through on the inside to take over before moving out to the centre of the track.

The winner Subrising ($31), was the rank outsider in the 1200m race and got up in the last stride to defeat the $2.50 betr favourite Let’s Get Down by a nose with Mount Olympus ($7) a length away third.

Trainer Nigel Blackiston thought enough of Subrising to start the filly’s career in in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Sandown in February before she was spelled after one more start in March.

“She has always shown nice ability,” Blackiston said.

“She had two runs as a two-year-old to give her a bit of race experience.

“We brought her here purely because the ground was a bit softer after we were going to run her at Ballarat on the synthetic earlier in the week.

“I thought she could come here and run a nice race, but she has run a super race.”

Blackiston said Subrising was still immature and would take a lot of benefit from Sunday’s success.

“She still has a bit to learn and is still on the tubby side, and whatever she showed today she is going to take good benefit from,” Blackiston said.

“I think we’ll go through the grades. We can come back for another benchmark 64 and progress from there, but she has shown nice promise and hopefully she can develop into a nice miler.”