Kerrin McEvoy and Blake Shinn Remain Weeks From Return After Separate Injuries

Champion jockeys Kerrin McEvoy and Blake Shinn remain some weeks away from returning to race riding, Racing and Sports reported on Feb. 18, 2026, with Shinn already confirming a broken left tibia and fibula sustained in a fall on Melbourne Cup Day and likely to miss the first couple of key Group 1 meetings in Victoria in February. Racing.com carried Shinn’s update and Racing and Sports named McEvoy alongside him as continuing to recover from serious injury.

Blake Shinn, a four-time Scobie Breasley Medal winner, told Racenet that his recovery "is going well" but cautioned he "won't be back in the saddle any time soon." Shinn said "the leg feels good" and gave a concrete progress marker: "We're seven weeks in." He added, "Obviously, I'm still on crutches and in the moon boot, which is what the doctor says," underlining that mobility and weightbearing remain staged parts of his rehab.

On timing, Shinn told Racenet he felt he was still "a couple of months" away from returning to race riding, a projection Racing.com noted would "mean he's likely to miss the first couple of key Group 1 meetings in Victoria in February." Those absences carry immediate booking and competitive consequences for trainers and owners seeking top-tier rides at the early-season Victoria Group 1 contests.

Racing and Sports' Feb. 18, 2026 update grouped McEvoy and Shinn as "Australia’s leading jump and flat riders" who have "sustained significant injuries in separate incidents" and remain "some weeks away from riding again." The Racing and Sports excerpt supplied does not include specifics on McEvoy’s injury type, how many weeks he has been in recovery, or any quotes from McEvoy or his representatives, so the precise scope of races he will miss remains unreported in that update.

The simultaneous sidelining of McEvoy and Shinn carries both sporting and business implications: owners and trainers will need to reshuffle jockey bookings for high-value mounts at upcoming Group 1 meetings, and media attention around spring carnivals will shift as marquee names are absent from race cards. Shinn’s description of being guided by medical advice, "Hard to know when I'll be back - I'll be guided by the doctor - but everything appears to be on track", frames the recovery as cautious and medically led, a reminder of the ongoing risk-management and welfare considerations shaping jockey availability and career longevity.

Racing and Sports published the recovery update on Feb. 18, 2026, while Racing.com carried Shinn’s Racenet interview and the timeline implications for Victorian Group 1 meetings; further specifics on Kerrin McEvoy’s condition and exact return window were not provided in the supplied reports.