Dylan Gibbons undergoes shoulder reconstruction that will keep him sidelined for three months

Dylan Gibbons injured his shoulder in October before learning it would require surgery to fix the damage, which will keep him out of the saddle for a significant period of time.

Jockey Dylan Gibbons won’t ride again until the New Year. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Group 1-winning rider Dylan Gibbons has been dealt a blow after he was forced to undergo a shoulder reconstruction that will keep him sidelined until the eve of the Sydney autumn carnival.

Gibbons has not ridden in Sydney since the Big Dance meeting at Royal Randwick on November 5.

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The 22-year-old first injured his left shoulder in a fall at Port Macquarie on October 9 but returned to the saddle nine days later after receiving treatment.

After going for further tests following the Big Dance card, Gibbons learned the extent of the damage and was forced to go under the knife late last week.

“My last two meetings I rode at, the Saturday and Tuesday, I felt my shoulder was just catching on me,” Gibbons said.

“It turns out it was popping out and popping back in so it was causing me a fair amount of pain.

“Thankfully we have a very good doctor in Dr Duckworth and thankfully for my sake he is a shoulder specialist.

“After speaking to him and getting an MRI and CT scan, it showed it was dislocating with a tear and a fracture and it was his opinion that if I didn’t get a reconstruction the same thing would keep happening.”

Dylan Gibbons was forced to have a shoulder reconstruction. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

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Gibbons, who rode close to 400 winners and had Group 1 success Explosive Jack (Sydney Cup) and Kalapour (Tancred Stakes) during his extremely successful apprenticeship, is in his first full season as a senior rider.

He is hoping to return to the saddle early next year.

“They reckon I should be back at the races in three months but we will see how that goes,” Gibbons said.

“I will do what I can to speed it up but I want to do it properly and don’t want to go through all of this to rush back and it be a waste.”

Meanwhile, star country apprentice Braith Nock has joined Peter Snowden on a three-month loan at Royal Randwick.

Nock, one of the state’s leading country riders last season, has been indentured to Scone-based conditioner Brett Cavanough but rode his first winner since moving to Snowden at last Saturday’s Newcastle meeting.

Originally published as Dylan Gibbons undergoes shoulder reconstruction that will keep him sidelined for three months