RICHARD DUNWOODY was released from hospital yesterday, confident that he will be fit to ride at the Cheltenham Festival which gets under way a fortnight today.

But the dual champion jump jockey faced an angry reaction from the Surrey Ambulance Service over his criticism of a perceived delay in receiving professional medical assistance after his fall at Kempton on Saturday.

Dunwoody has been treated for a hairline fracture of the sternum, suffered when See More Business fell in the Racing Post Chase.

A spokesman for RBI Promotions, his management company, said: "Richard left hospital this afternoon. The prognosis is very good. The doctors are very optimistic that he will have no problems and it is just a case of waiting for the fracture to heel.

"He is upbeat and confident he will be fit for Cheltenham."

Dunwoody also attempted to calm the waters stirred up by the statement he issued from his hospital bed on Sunday.

As well as ruffling the leathers of the ambulance service, his claims that: "I was disappointed about the length of time before receiving professional attention" arid "the first person to attend tried to move me and caused a lot more pain", also upset the Jockey Club and the Kempton executive.

In a statement the Surrey Ambulance Service said the inference that their staff did not seem to know what to do "was wholly without foundation".

The statement added: "A qualified paramedic was with Mr Dunwoody within 30 seconds of falling from his mount. An ambulance was following the riders and the attendant saw Mr Dunwoody on the ground immediately after falling at the fence.

The paramedic went directly to Mr Dunwoody who refused assistance on a number of occasions.

Mr Dunwoody's condition was correctly assessed as non life threatening and had the ambulance crew been permitted to do so, they would have treated Mr Dunwoody without the immediate support of a doctor.

However, a doctor was called and was with him in a matter of minutes. The doctor and ambulance crew then treated Mr Dunwoody who was later transported to Ashford Hospital by a second ambulance.

The Surrey Ambulance Service stressed they stuck to the procedures agreed with the Jockey Club, a point backed up by the Club's director of public affairs David Pipe and Kempton clerk of the course Peter McNeile.

Pipe said: "We are absolutely convinced that the instructions were followed entirely correctly and the paramedics were there in well under a minute.

"The ambulance stopped almost as the fall was occurring and they were with Richard almost before be stopped rolling."

McNeile added: "I'm not sure what more he could have expected. The ambulance followed 70 yards behind and they were with him within 20 seconds he hardly had time to spit the mud out of his teeth!"

Dunwoody claimed that the first person to attend caused him pain rather than helping but McNeile countered: "He was a Surrey Ambulance crew paramedic and you couldn't ask for anyone better. In a trauma situation they are the best people.

I am surprised and rather disappointed with what Richard has said.

I went to the hospital on Saturday night to deliver his car and he had every opportunity to raise it with me but he didn't, not a dicky bird!

"I thought it was all dead and buried so I was surprised to see the statement he issued on Sunday."

Responding to the criticism, Dunwoody said: "I would like to emphasise again that it was the whole procedure that I want to discuss with Michael Caulfield and Dr Michael Turner on behalf of all jockeys in the future."