Injured jockey 'recovering well'

Young jockey Sarah Borg, who suffered a life-threatening injury when she fell off her horse during a race two months ago, is recovering well at home, according to her parents.

"She is undergoing daily therapy and seems to be improving," her father, Joseph, said.

Her mother, former Maltasong chairman Grace Borg, also said her daughter was recovering well.

The 22-year-old suffered a head trauma on February 1 when she fell off her mare Silence Caresse during an afternoon race. Witnesses had said that Miss Borg, considered to be one of Malta's best female jockeys, was motionless after the fall.

"The first few days were touch and go and we feared that she would not make it. But she has improved substantially," Mr Borg said, adding that she was still forgetful at times.

Miss Borg was at the Marsa race course yesterday, watching the races in which she would have been competing had the accident not occurred.

According to her mother, horses and racing were always the girl's passion. "I took her horse riding when she was about seven years old and it remained her passion since."

Miss Borg and a number of youngsters, who are still her friends today, would take part in races organised during village festas and her passion for horses continued to grow. She now has five horses, with Silence Caress being the newest.

Part of the "whole spectrum of therapy" in her daily routine was seeing her horses, her father said. In fact, Miss Borg has been to Marsa a couple of times to watch the races.

"She is back on her feet and can speak well," Mr Borg said. "Her recovery is a long process, which could take months but she's on the right track."