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Purcell making the most of her second chance

 Kelsi Purcell and Michelle Payne do have more than one thing in common. One, they are women and second, both battled near career-ending injuries to make a mark in a man's world.
Purcell and Payne endured shattered vertebrae and broken ribs in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and while Payne is now part of horse racing folklore after winning the prestigious Melbourne Cup in Australia, Purcell has starred, back home in the US, and is now perhaps on the threshold of upstaging some top class male jockeys in the UAE Capital.
The 33-year-old is the only lady jockey in the field for the world's richest race for Purebred Arabians-the Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown - and will be partnering her 'baby,' the highly-impressive Paddy's Day.
Purcell suffered a fall when onboard Quarter Horse gelding Stone Cat All Lit Up at Sunland Park in New Mexico in 2010. That left her with vertebrae shattered into 28 pieces and two other fractured vertebrae. "I have a lot of metal in me, a lot of titanium in me," she said matter-of-factly.
She has two rods, four hooks and eight screws in her spine, to be precise. But that hasn't held her back and the 33-year-old is making the most of her second chance.
"I've recovered a 100 percent. I have a lot of metal in me, a lot of titanium in me but it has really never held me back. It was sort of an extra push because a lot of people said I should never go back to the sport. But this is the best I've ever felt and I've been riding for 10 years. I feel more excited now than five years ago after the accident, I feel reinvigorated. Especially, coming here, I've been excited. This has been a dream of mine and I've been hoping for something like this for six years now since 2009," said Purcell.
The Americans are racing in the feature for the very first time and there are four of them - So Big Is Better, RB Rich, RB Frynch Broad and Paddy's Day.
Purcell had won her first race with So Big Is Better in 2013 when Scott Powell owned him, but has now formed a unique bond with Paddy's Day.
"I started riding Paddy's Day last fall and we just clicked. And so Scott and the other owners let me stick with the horse," she said.
"He has been campaigning really hard and has done so well. And Scott did a great job of taking care of him by keeping him sound and keeping him happy and keep him enjoying the job even though it has been a long road. We have travelled lots of places like California, Texas, Denver, back to New Mexico, back to California, back to Texas and he has handled it in his stride really good. I'm excited to ride here in the UAE for the first time," she added.
james@khaleejtimes.com