Update On Kirkpatrick

After suffering a broken arm in an accident that occurred on April 26 at Windsor Raceway while driving his pupil Smokeys Luck, Bill Kirkpatrick told Trot Insider that he

is on the mend and had his first physiotherapy session yesterday.

Kirkpatrick was thrown from the sulky during the eighth race at Windsor due to broken equipment just three days shy of the two-year anniversary of another inopportune accident that resulted in him shattering his other arm requiring 12 screws, a plate and six months off to recover.

“We had a jawbreaker on the horse and just as the gate opened I guess it broke. I didn’t know for sure if I lost the line or if the jawbreaker just kind of moved, but then when I got into the five hole I had no lines at all,” recalled Kirkpatrick. “The horse then moved into the infield. I thought we were going to hit the quarter pole, but he missed that and we hit the teletimer and I got flipped right out, right then."

Kirkpatrick ended up breaking the humerus bone, which is located between the elbow and shoulder. The 56-year-old resident of Amherstburg, Ont. underwent surgery on his arm at Metropolitan Hospital on April 28, but says he is currently dealing with some nerve issues.

“My hand is now the biggest problem. The surgery went well. I got a plate and screws in my arm. The big concern was the nerve. They thought maybe I severed it, but it was just bruised so that’s why that night it happened I couldn’t move my fingers,” he explained. “But they’re coming around. The plastic surgeon said it could be a month to six months before I get all the feeling back in my fingers. He said it should come back because the nerve didn’t get damaged. So that was the main concern. It just takes time I guess, but I’m starting to get the feeling back a little everyday.”

The veteran horseman says his stable is still racing under his supervision. Smokeys Luck, who stayed on his feet and was uninjured in the mishap, has since raced twice finishing second and winning just three days ago.

Kirkpatrick would like to thank all of the well-wishers for their support.