Burrumbeet horseman David Barbetti didn’t think he’d ever get back in the sulky after a freak training mishap smashed his hip and pelvis six and a half years ago.
Long stints in hospital and rehab ensued and daily pain serves as a reminder of the horrific moment a horse Barbetti was breaking in flipped over on top of him.
“When you’ve had a bad injury like that the pain never stops. You learn to live with it,” he told RSN’s One Out, One Back this morning.
Barbetti continued to train, but his desire to hold the reins in a race returned as he put the polish on Radius, an Art Major four-year-old, who showed potential.
Yesterday at Kilmore, the heavily backed pacer cruised to a 6.4-metre win in the TAB Pace with a confident Barbetti thrilled to be in the gig.
“It was a big achievement. I didn’t think I’d ever get back driving again. Just to get back in the cart and to win first-up was a real thrill,” Barbetti said.
They do say you have to get back on the horse.
Recounting the accident and the ongoing rehabilitation period afterwards, Barbetti admitted it was a rough time.
“I ended up in hospital for three months,” he said.
“It took years to recover from and I never thought I’d get back driving.”
Three-time Inter Dominion winning trainer Chris Lang also made a winning return from a long injury lay-off, piloting Miyabomba to victory in the fourth.
Meanwhile, trainer Carla Innes-Goodridge has produced two winners this week and she also joined the show for a chat.
