By Craig Kerry
Siena Grima was keen to get back to riding winners for new boss Chris Waller after the apprentice came through a fall largely unscathed less than two weeks into her loan stint with Sydney’s premier trainer.
Grima had to pass standard cognitive tests on Friday night before the Canterbury meeting to be cleared for a return to race riding after the fall at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. She was down for six rides at Randwick on Saturday, five of which are for Waller, who has given the Kempsey product a three-month loan.
Siena Grima takes Full Hao, far right, to victory at Rosehill on December 7.Credit: Getty Images
The 23-year-old was riding Ichiban Koji for Waller in fourth spot in the opener on Wednesday when the Blue Point colt faltered mid-race, fell and died. Grima tried to ease the struggling horse out of the race before also hitting the turf. She was stood down for the rest of the meeting and taken to hospital for scans and observation before being released late that night.
Grima returned to work on Friday and was confident of being right to resume.
“I feel fine, just muscle soreness from hitting the ground, but I was really lucky to come out of it unscathed,” Grima said on Friday.
Siena Grima after winning on Full Hao at Rosehill on December 7.Credit: Getty Images
“I felt him getting wobbly and I wasn’t sure if he’d broken something or he’d done a tendon, but thankfully I ride with the best in the business, so they were watching and all moved out of the way, so when I did have to jump off before he hit the ground, I wasn’t going to get run over.
“I hit the ground hard, but I was lucky I half-slowed him down enough so it wasn’t too bad. It could have been much worse.”
Grima escaped with a graze above her eyebrow and a brief spell of dizziness immediately after the fall. The three-kilogram claimer, who has been race riding for less than two years, had two previous falls, but both were after the winning post and caused no injuries.
She was excited to get back aboard Full Hao after winning on her at Rosehill on December 7 in what was a first victory for Waller since joining the stable. The four-year-old mare faces the same grade in the fifth race but drops back to the mile from 1800m. Full Hao ($6 TAB) has the same owners, Hermitage, as Ichiban Koji.
“I think she will be fine,” Grima said of the drop in trip.
“Now that she’s had that one run with the blinkers, I think it might have switched her on, so probably back to the mile, she might be comfortable running along.
“She might be back. She’s drawn well [in three], but I don’t want to be too far off them, but they should roll on enough for her so she can still pick them up late.”
Waller-trained Island Dream and Cigar Flick also drew well for Grima. Island Dream ($19) has gate three in the ninth and is second up after an eighth at Rosehill against the same grade. She goes up 100m to 1400m and is unbeaten second-up in two attempts.
Cigar Flick ($16) resumes over 1100m in the seventh and has won first-up twice. Grima was happy with her recent trial when third.
“I never let her off the bridle, I still had a nice hold on her and she finished really close to the others and they were under a bit of pressure,” she said.
“She went well through the line, so I’ll be excited to see how she goes.”
Grima also partners $900,000 Wootton Bassett colt Botanist ($41), owned by American billionaire John Stewart, in the fourth and Step Aside ($11) in the 10th for Waller, but both will have to overcome wide draws.
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