Philip Hide was among the 2,020 spectators at Plumpton on Monday wearing a grin-and-bear-it smile.

His right arm, broken in a freak accident at Towcester 16 days ago, will be checked out by specialists at Worthing Hospital today.

Hide said: "I hope to have some indication of when I can begin riding again."

With luck he will be in action again before Christmas, which is more than leading rider Richard Johnson can hope for. Chasing AP McCoy in the jockeys' table with 81 winners this season, Johnson broke both bones below the knee of his right leg when Ilico II fell early on in a novice chase at Exeter on Tuesday.

Johnson was detained overnight in hospital in Exeter and will be out for at least three months.

Josh Gifford's record of 68 winners at Plumpton may not last much longer if champion McCoy has anything to do with it.

AP is only one behind Josh and will be in action on the course on Monday November 5 when he captains the Irish team in the Anglo-Irish Jockeys' Challenge.

Welshman Carl Llewellyn heads the English team in place of Johnson.

The Anglo-Irish day is strongly supported by the Tote and features the Boyle-O'Dowda Academy in displays of Irish dancing, the Irish band Reelstrings, traditional Irish fayre and Guinness at only £1 a pint in the members' bar.

In addition the Tote is giving £4 betting vouchers away in each race card, but interestingly the "Nanny" did not need giveaways to increase its turnover by 46 per cent last Monday on the corresponding day on the course last year. First race on Monday week is at 1.10pm and the free shuttle bus service leaves from Brighton station at 11.40am.

The Plumpton executive were celebrating the success this week of last Monday's charity fixture which raised over £40,000 for the Moorcroft Racehorse Welfare Centre at Battle.

This is £8,000 more than the total achieved last year and much of the credit for this must go to former BBC TV commentator Sir Peter O'Sullevan. His persuasive tones conjured about £26,000 from VIPs during lunch in a special marquee.

The celebrity flat race, with each rider having raised £500 in sponsorship, was won by Winchester trainer and Grand National winning jockey Brenda Powell on Heracles. The partnership foiled a gamble on Duchamp ridden by Ian Balding who had lost almost two stones in three weeks to do 12 stone.

Balding set off to make the running but Powell never allowed the Kingsclere trainer to get away from him and was cantering all over him through the last half mile to win by four lengths.