Star jockey William Pike has been ruled out of this week’s Ascot Racing Carnival after breaking his wrist in an e-scooter accident.
The Australian was previously ruled out of action at the start of the 2024 season after suffering a fractured heel while working on the track.
Pike was due to climb aboard Western Empire for Saturday’s Sport-Gold Rush race, with the G&A Williams-trained horse entering the race as favourite.
But the champion jockey has undergone surgery on his arm after reportedly falling from his scooter in what has been described as a ‘harmless incident’.
Pike will be replaced by Billy Egan for Saturday’s 1400m Group 3 race.
“He was riding around Perth on Monday night on a scooter and was just crossing a road,” Pike’s manager Dale Verhagen told Racing WA.
William Pike has been ruled out of this week’s Ascot Racing Carnival after breaking his wrist
The jockey was reportedly involved in an accident with an e-scooter but said he rode sensibly
He has undergone surgery on the broken wrist, with his manager claiming it was a ‘fairly harmless incident’
‘He was going incredibly slowly and it was a fairly harmless incident.
‘He was driving 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, ended up wrong and broke his wrist.
‘At first, without talking to him, I was upset, but even he himself said, “I wish I was doing something stupider, but I was actually very sensible.”
‘He probably takes more risks on the farm every week than on that scooter.
“He’s in a full cast and it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
His manager has confirmed he has undergone surgery on the wrist injury and could be out of action for ‘eight to 10 weeks’.