French jockey Olivier Placais will be out for three weeks after it was confirmed he had suffered a small fracture to his sternum.

The hard-working rider thought he would be fine after he fell from Ottawa at the start of a race on January 21, even showing up at the next meetings on January 23 and 26 to honour his rides, bringing up two winners, Petite Victoire and Only Win.

But the 33-year-old was fighting against the pain barrier, which finally got the better of him.

“I was able to ride, and besides, I won two races which was good, but I could still feel a sharp pain in my upper chest, especially after last Friday (January 26) when I took five rides,” said Placais.

“There was nothing detected on X-rays but I did a MRI scan on Monday, and it showed a small crack on my sternum. My doctor gave me three weeks of rest.”

Placais will be able to resume riding at trackwork from February 19, meaning he will miss the double-barrelled Chinese New Year meetings on February 17 and 18. He will be back race-riding at Kranji on February 23.

“It’s a shame as I was doing okay with four winners (also rode a double with Only Win and Justice Day on New Year’s Day) so far this season, even if competition is very tight,” he said.

“I was even booked for rides this weekend, but it’s okay as I would not have given the injury the chance to heal. The three weeks off will enable me to recover, but I sure can’t wait to get back in the saddle.”