MULTIPLE Grade 1-winning rider Jordan Gainford expects to return to the saddle ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, after appearing to avoid serious injury in a fall last weekend.

The Kiltealy, Co Wexford native was taken to Aintree Hospital, following a spill from the Gordon Elliott-trained Minella Sixo at Haydock last Saturday, but was later allowed to travel home.

His mount was beginning to get into contention in the opening Pertemps Qualifier, when taking a heavy fall at the third-last flight.

The Cheltenham Festival-winning rider had been originally booked to ride Fortunedefortunata in the €100,000 QuinnBet Grand National Trial at Punchestown last Sunday, before the race was rescheduled to Thursday and Jake Coen successfully did the steering.

Speaking on Friday, Gainford told The Irish Field: “I was talking with my physio yesterday and it seems we’re talking about roughly 10 days off, before coming back riding out. I just had a small problem with my back, nothing major. Hopefully, I’ll be back racing again in two weeks’ time or that.

“I actually got the all clear at the time in England, but just felt there might have been a small problem there, so got it scanned again at home and found something a little bit amiss. Speaking to Jennifer [Pugh, IHRB senior medical officer] and my physio, they knew it wasn’t a big problem and when they saw it, they were relieved it wasn’t going to be a long road.”

Gainford managed to return in time to ride at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, despite being dealt a serious injury blow when fracturing his T5 and T6 vertebrae at Naas in mid-December of the same season.

He added: “You don’t want to get an injury at any time of the year, but definitely not around now. It’s been a tough time for everyone over the past week or so, though, and I know this is only a minor problem.”