• Jockey falls out, clings on, then bounces off rail back into saddle • Douvan to miss weekend races but could be back at Christmas

Jack Kennedy, a rising star of Ireland’s weighing room, produced one of the most astonishing recoveries of recent seasons at Clonmel on Thursday afternoon, when he defied both gravity and logic to maintain his partnership with Robin Des Mana in a novice chase before going on to ride the six-year-old to a half-length success.

Kennedy, riding the 7-2 chance for Gordon Elliott, set off to make the running and cleared the first three fences without incident. A mistake at the next bounced Kennedy from the saddle and left the rider hanging on to Robin Des Mana’s neck as the horse continued to gallop at speed.

Kennedy then hauled himself back on to his partner but he was lying at a right-angle across the saddle until a bump against the running rail helped him to swing his right leg back across the six‑year‑old and sit upright. Having dropped to fifth place, Robin Des Mana hit the front two fences from home and ran on well to deny Kiera Royale, a 50-1 outsider.

Talking Horses: Ante-post favourite Douvan out of Tingle Creek Chase Read more

The rider said embarrassment at being pitched from the saddle by a relatively minor mistake had left him determined to stay in the race.

“I was a little bit embarrassed that I got thrown out of the saddle, so I said I’d better try to stay on him,” Kennedy said. “It was a silly mistake and I thought I was gone but I didn’t fancy getting galloped on.

“I was lucky the railing was there as I’d have been gone out of the race, and he kept straight and that was a big help. I got in underneath the last [fence] and I could see the other horse coming to me, but he pulled it out.”

Kennedy’s astonishing winning ride recalled some of the greatest escapes in National Hunt history, including Andrew Thornton’s success on Kingscliff at Ascot in 2003 with a broken left rein, Ruby Walsh’s recovery to win after a terrible mistake at the last on Killultagh Vic at Leopardstown last year, and Brendan Powell’s win on Rhyme ‘N’ Reason in the 1988 Grand National after his horse sprawled on all fours at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit and was left in last place.

“I think his was a lot better than mine, to be truthful,” Powell said on Thursday. “He’s done great to get back on it when he was off to one side. At least when it happened to me in the National, I stayed on his back and didn’t really look like coming off. I was last when we got to the next fence, but at least I did have another three-and-three-quarter miles to go and we managed to get back there. I don’t know him at all, but he seems a great horseman and a very good jockey.”

Willie Mullins, who revealed on Thursday morning that his stable star Douvan will miss all of his possible engagements this weekend, had a mixed afternoon at Clonmel, where he saddled two odds-on favourites. Coquin Mans, a 1-3 chance for the feature event, slipped up on the flat with victory apparently assured, but Draconien, at 8-13, was a deeply impressive winner of the concluding maiden hurdle on his first start for the stable.

Mullins remains hopeful Douvan will be able to run for the first time this season at Christmas. Douvan was not declared for the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday, and was also ruled out of the John Durkan Chase and the Hilly Way Chase in Ireland on Sunday.

“Douvan did a fantastic bit of work on Tuesday and rode out yesterday [Wednesday] and today,” Mullins said, “and I just wasn’t happy with him.

“We couldn’t get the ferry this morning, it wasn’t going to be a ferry until tonight, which I wasn’t too pushed about anyhow, and I decided if I wasn’t going to run him Saturday, he won’t run Sunday either. We’ll just wait and hopefully have him right for Christmas. I imagine he’ll run at Leopardstown.”

In Douvan’s absence, Fox Norton is the new odds-on favourite for the Tingle Creek, and will be ridden in Saturday’s race by Robbie Power after Colin Tizzard, Fox Norton’s trainer, decided Bryan Cooper will not be fit in time to take the ride. Cooper was engaged by Alan Potts to ride all of his horses in Britain shortly before the owner’s death last month but he has not ridden in public since suffering an injury in a fall from Sizing Tennessee at Ascot on 24 November.

Friday’s tips, by Greg Wood

Sedgefield

12.10 Midnight Walk 12.40 Charmant 1.15 Inniscastle Lad 1.45 Smiling Jessica 2.20 Mac Cennetig 2.55 Contented 3.25 Dancing Doug

Exeter

12.30 Lady Longshot 1.00 Run To Milan 1.35 Indy Five 2.05 Flaming Charmer 2.40 Modus 3.15 Yanmare 3.45 Caribert

Sandown Park

12.50 Pickamix 1.25 Jukebox Jive 1.55 Wilberdragon 2.30 On The Blind Side (nap) 3.05 Red Devil Star 3.35 Cap Du Nord

Chelmsford City

5.45 Red Stripes 6.15 Court House 6.45 Pearl Nation 7.15 Karijini 7.45 Peace And Plenty 8.15 Big Bad Lol (nb) 8.45 Dashing Poet