Jump jockey Brian Harding returns from a year in the doldrums at Musselburgh today. The Irishman has been booked to ride Delightfool for permit holder Ray Nixon in the Table Maiden Hurdle. It is the 3lb claimer's only scheduled ride of the day.

Gordon Richards' up and coming conditional has been forced to sit on the sidelines for a year after sustaining head injuries in a fall from Show Your Hand at Newcastle.

A mandatory period of 12 months off was imposed by the Jockey Club because Harding was thought to have suffered an epileptic fit as a result of the fall. Harding was understandably dismayed - and experienced a knock-back in October when the Jockey Club refused to review his case.

The 25-year-old had tests at Liverpool's Walton Hospital and was told by a specialist that everything was fine and that he should not have been stood down for 12 months. The specialist's opinion was that Harding had not had an epileptic fit but a concussive convulsion.

However, the Jockey Club stood firm on its ruling but did admit that Harding was "the victim of some mis-communication" in the weeks following the accident and promised to make improvements in that area.

Harding has never sat on Delightfool before - but that does not worry him. "It's just nice to get back on a horse," he said. "I just want to get back in the swing of things."

He also expressed his appreciation of all the good wishes he has received. "I would like to thank everyone who has backed me over the last year. They've been brilliant," he said.