Jockey Melissa Iorio never had a specific date targeted for her return to riding following an injury suffered last September. It was just a matter of when she felt physically ready and when there were horses for her to ride.

Friday at Monmouth Park turned out to be that day, with the 34-year-old back with three mounts more than nine months after breaking her radius “in half” along with a stress fracture to her ulna (both in the left arm) during a training mishap at Fair Hill (Md.).

“It’s nice to be back,” said Iorio, who finished third with her first mount back with Ausplexity for trainer Teri Pompay in the second race. She later finished fourth aboard Bouquetry for trainer Tim Hills in the fourth race and then was in the back of the pack with 81-1 shot Midnight Millie for trainer James Frangella in the fifth race.

Iorio, who started riding in 2022, said she has had injuries before – but nothing quite this complex.

“I won a turf race at Penn National (Sept. 10) and the next morning I went to Fair Hill to work a couple of horses,” she said. “I was working a 2-year-old from the gate and she went through the rail and I broke my arm.

“It was a longer recovery process than expected. It was a little more complex than doctors originally realized.”

Surgery was an option but Iorio was trying to avoid that. When it became obvious this would be a lengthy recovery process it was too late for surgery.

“I was a good patient. I’m normally not,” she said. “But I wanted to make sure I did things the right way and respected the process. It wasn’t easy. Any jockey who has been through a serious injury knows it’s very trying mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

“You want to be able to do things you might not be able to do. I wanted to ride horses but I couldn’t.”

Iorio, who has 98 career wins, has finished in the top 10 of the rider standings at Monmouth Park each of the past two seasons. She didn’t make it back this year to Monmouth Park to start working horses again until earlier this month.

“I had gone to Kentucky for the month of May to gallop and breeze there,” she said. “(Trainer) Lindsay Schultz was really kind to help me out. I was able to pick up breezes at Churchill from other trainers when they saw me.

“That helped me get fit and get my condition back.”

Iorio, who originally got her start riding while working for trainer Tom Proctor, said Pompay has been particularly supportive “keeping me busy in the mornings.”

“I’m fortunate that I have people supporting me, giving me horses to work and naming me on horses in the afternoon,” she said.

Now her goal is a return to normalcy.

“I was a little nervous today. That’s normal ,” she said. “I just tried to relax and focus and ride with confidence. Now I can move on after the first day back.”