JOCKEY Robert Thornton is said to be in a “stable” condition after his bad terrible fall at Leicester yesterday.

The rider has sustained a suspected back injury when falling from the Alan King-trained Cracboumwiz in the Dick Christian Novices’ Chase.

It looked like Cracboumwiz was going to beat the 2-5 market leader The Polomoche, but a crashing fall at the third last saw Thornton grounded.

He tried to get to his feet, but was taken into an ambulance on a stretcher and was later taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital.

He will stay in hospital overnight for further observation. A hospital spokesperson said: “At the moment he is in our emergency department and is stable and awaiting X-Rays.”

Meally Thornton, the jockey’s wife, is hopeful her husband’s injuries are not too serious

She said: “I’m heading there (Leicester Royal Infirmary) now and they are waiting for the X-Ray results.

“He’s going to be kept in hospital overnight but I don’t think it’s really serious.

“Andrew Tinkler (fellow jockey) has been in to see him and he (Thornton) is strapped onto a back-board.

“I think it’s a back injury, but the people at the hospital have been unable to tell me anything.”

It will be a big blow for the jockey if he is out for any lengthy spell with the Cheltenham Festival just seven weeks ago.

Thornton would be in line to ride one of his boss King’s two runners in Saturday’s Betfair Cleeve Hurdle on Cheltenham’s Festival Trials Day.

The Barbury Castle handler King is looking to run both former champion hurdler Katchit and Long Walk Hurdle runner-up Karabak in Saturday’s Grade Two contest.

Both horse will work today and King said: “Karabak and Katchit are in the Cleeve. They are all going to work tomorrow but it is the plan to run both as long as they please.

“I was delighted with Karabak at Newbury behind Big Buck’s, it was a very good run.”

Meanwhile officials at Cheltenham doing everything they can to make sure Festival Trials Day goes ahead and expected to use frost covers.

The meeting, which could see 2008 Gold Cup hero Denman line up in the Argento Chase.

The traditional trials meeting was lost to the elements in 2006 and with temperatures expected to go below freezing on Friday night, clerk of the course Simon Claisse is taking no chance.

“As forecast, today has been dry and the going is now soft all over,” said Claisse.

“The forecast is for between four and six millimetres of rain between tomorrow and Friday, with cooler temperatures arriving at the end of the week.

“We will make a final decision tomorrow, but the provisional plan at this stage is to put down frost covers on Thursday as a precautionary measure.”

TODAY’S NAP: Ballabrook (3.40pm Musselburgh).