30 November 2010 Injury Forces Briggs to Retire
by Emma Forman
Midlands Area rider Matt Briggs has announced that he has been forced to retire from race riding owing to a nasty arm injury.
The badly broken arm, sustained at the end of the 2009 season, kept Briggs on the sidelines during the 2009/10 season while he waited for surgery to put it right. The resulting six operations in the course of eight days have fixed the damaged limb but unfortunately Briggs was advised not to return to the saddle.
"The surgeons told me that breaking it again wasn't an option" said Briggs 31, who was Midlands Area Novice Champion in 2006. In total he rode 18 winners including 2 Hunter Chase wins on board Sea Ferry. Briggs said that his first Hunter Chase win at Market Rasen was probably the best of all; "Everyone wondered where I was going as I went right out to the outside rail in the back straight".
Matt Briggs was keen to thank all those who helped him along the way "I would like to say a big ‘thank you' to everyone who ever gave me a ride and to Chris Bealby who supplied me with the majority of my winners". The biggest disappointment for Briggs is that he will not be able to renew the partnership with his promising five-year-old maiden How Ya Doin, who is now for sale.
Briggs is now working for a Horsebox company near Liverpool and part time at the Aintree Equestrian Centre. "I'm finding it a bit strange starting work at 9am, I keep waking up too early!" he joked. Matt is keen to stay involved with Point-to-Pointing - possibly as a valet in the future.
