Sarah Rushbook will be making an early return to harness racing when she attends this Sunday's Tamworth Harness Racing Club meeting - albeit not in her usual position as a trainer and driver, but as a strapper to her horse Jackeroo Shannon.
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Rushbrook has been on the sidelines since a race fall back in March at an Inverell harness meeting, where she sustained serious injuries that have kept her out of action.
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"I am slowly recovering and I do wish it was quicker but it is what it is," said Rushbrook. "The doctor and physio say that I am going good for where I am at."
Rushbrook sustained a broken femur in two places, broken ribs, a cracked tailbone and a punctured lung in the fall.
"The leg is not healing as well as I thought and they think it will be the end of the year before I am back. It has only been three months now and each day I am doing that little bit more.
"It will be good to be back at the track. I went to the Newcastle meeting last Saturday night to watch the horse's race but it will be good to see them back here on their own track."
After sustaining the horrendous injuries, Rushbrook elected to send her two horses - Jackeroo Shannon and Gotta Rush - to Ellalong trainer Michael Formosa.
"I had a lot of different options with the horses but I thought they deserved the chance to go to Newcastle to race," she said.
"It was mainly to see if they could step up, and they have. They have both had four race starts each at Newcastle for three pay cheques each, so I can't complain.
"They love being down at Micks (Formosa) out in the open paddocks."
With Gotta Rush being balloted out of Sunday's meeting, Jackeroo Shannon will come into the ECO Energy & Solar Solutions Pace.
"Poor Jackie, he is in a good race but he has been racing well down at Newcastle so we will just hope for the best," said Rushbrook.
Jackeroo Shannon did produce a win at Newcastle back on May 30, with a mile rate of 1min 59.4sec for 2030 metres.
"I get totally nervous watching the horse's race when I am at home but not when I am behind them in the race," said Rushbrook.