Surgery successful for Shaw

Tony Shaw is awake and talking after head surgery at Auckland hospital.

The Cambridge reinsman's sulky slammed down onto him when his horse broke, free of interference, and fell soon after the start of a race at Alexandra Park on March 11.

Shaw's friend and fellow driver Peter Ferguson said the surgery to reattach part of his skull, went "very well" and Shaw was awake and talking just two hours after it ended.

The section of skull had been frozen and stored at the hospital.

Surgeons had told Shaw the surgery could take seven hours, but it only took five, Ferguson said yesterday.

"Until he gets up, in a couple of days, it will tell us more.

"Probably in the last month he's really improved and was getting back to his old self. He was a bit tentative about this surgery so now that its over he'll probably be really positive."

Ferguson said it helped that Shaw went into the surgery fit and healthy.

Ferguson wanted to thank everyone who had made donations to the Tony Shaw Trust which was set up after the accident.

"Just a blanket thank you, an acknowledgement of everyone's contributions."

Shaw, has been involved with harness racing for most of his life and is best known as the driver of Taranaki pacer Yulestar.

- NZPA