TOP jockey Dougie Costello told today how he spent most of his honeymoon in Menorca being treated in hospital for a badly infected leg.

Dougie, 27, from Malton, said one doctor implied he might have lost the leg if he had waited another couple of days before getting treatment.

He said he had got married earlier this month to Aimee Mercer at St Wilfrid’s Church, York, and then gone to the Mediterranean for a honeymoon on a yacht sailing round Menorca.

He said on his last ride before the wedding, he had got a “buckle-rub” on the inside of his leg, from his saddle, but thought nothing much about it.

“But it got worse and became so sore when we were away that I had to go and get it seen to,” he said.

“By then my leg, from just above my ankle to my knee, had become very swollen and the pain of it, because of the pressure, was unbelievable. It was worse than a fracture.”

Doctors immediately admitted him to hospital after examining him, administered antibiotics through a drip and inserted a drain to get rid of the infection.

He said one doctor told him he would have been in the “danger zone” with his leg had he waited another couple of days before seeking treatment.

“When I asked him what that meant, he made a cutting movement with his hand – I’m sure he wasn’t joking.”

He said he spent a week in hospital before being allowed out last Friday, and flying back to Britain yesterday.

“It wasn’t how I planned to spend my honeymoon!”

Dougie, who rode 38 winners last season and whose wedding reception at York Racecourse was attended by many of the country’s leading jockeys, trainers and owners, said he was now feeling much better but was going to see his doctor to have a blood test.

If all went well, he hoped he might be able to ride again by next weekend.