Hugh Bowman plans to take it one step at a time as the Australian jockey prepares for his return to competitive action next week.

Bowman, who fractured his scapula and three vertebrae when he hit the turf aboard ill-fated Classic Series placegetter Tuchel in the Class One Panasonic Cup (1,400m) at Sha Tin on November 11, resumed riding in barrier trials on Friday and aims to reach full fitness early in the new year.

“It’s good to be back in the fray,” Bowman said. “I’ve got a few rides on Boxing Day, and I’ll be slowly progressing into a busier schedule as January approaches. The body isn’t where it was when I left off, but we’ve got to start somewhere. and I’m happy to be back.”

Bowman was enjoying a scintillating start to his first full season in Hong Kong, boasting the city’s best win rate before a couple of careless riding offences – one at Happy Valley and one at Randwick – forced him to miss five consecutive meetings through suspension.

On the day Bowman returned from serving his cumulative ban, he fell from Tuchel in that card’s feature race. Despite the 43-year-old rider’s best efforts, he did not make it back to the track in time for either the International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley on December 6 or the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin four days later.

“I had fractured both my scapula and three vertebrae, so as much as I was eager to ride on international day, it was quite clear after a couple of weeks that it wasn’t the right thing to do,” Bowman said. “Once I made that decision, I just took it easy for the remaining time, and after a few weeks, started to build some light fitness back into myself.”

During the recovery process, Bowman was able to head home to spend time with his family. He admitted he was lucky to avoid serious injury.

“It’s one of the hazards of what we do as jockeys, so as disappointed as I was with the circumstances and the timing of it, I can thank my lucky stars it wasn’t worse,” Bowman said.

“I went home to Australia and spent some time with my family, which was really lovely. I was able to spend more quality time with Christine and the girls. The routine continued as normal, but I just wasn’t at work. I had some more lunch and dinner, built my fluids up and drank plenty of water. It was good.”

Bowman, whose fall from deregistered galloper Fast Pace at Sha Tin on Christmas Eve last year forced Jockey Club stewards to abandon the all-weather event, resumed riding in trackwork on Tuesday and said he is already feeling a marked improvement in his fitness.

“I felt a little bit wayward on my first morning a few days ago, but after riding at the trials, the progression has been really good. The muscle memory has come back really well, so I’m looking forward to getting to the races,” Bowman said.

“I worked hard during the off-season to start my season on the front foot from a fitness perspective. Now I’m on the back foot. There’s nothing I can do about that. I had no choice but to do nothing. I’m confident my injuries are 100 per cent, but it’ll take some time to get my fitness and my body back to where it was.”