Grand National-winning jockey Graham Lee suffers damage to spinal cord in horror fall

Graham Lee, the Grand National-winning jockey, has sustained damage to his spinal cord, an MRI scan has revealed, after his fall at Newcastle on Friday evening.

In an update on his condition, a statement put out by the Injured Jockeys Fund last night said: “Jockey Graham Lee’s MRI scan has shown that he has suffered an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to the spinal cord, as well as damage to blood vessels in the mid-cervical region.

“He remains in intensive care with respiratory support at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle, but it has been possible to reduce his sedation.

“This is a very serious injury and at this early time it is not possible to predict the extent of long-term recovery. Graham’s family are very grateful for the many messages of support they have had.”

Lee, 47, who rode Amberleigh House to success at Aintree in 2004 but switched to the Flat in 2012, was taken straight to the hospital after the fall at the nearby racecourse.

He was riding Ben Macdui and was catapulted over the gelding’s front when the five-year-old stumbled coming out of the stalls in a 5f handicap and Lee landed awkwardly on his head.

Paul Mulrennan, his fellow senior jockey on the northern Flat circuit and a great friend, said: “Everybody’s thinking of Graham. He is an utter professional and his CV is unbelievable – under both codes – on top of which he is a great fella and family man. He’s the most dedicated jockey I know, from form and fitness through to his weight management. We’re just hoping and praying for him.”

There was a very sombre atmosphere at Newcastle, the scene of his fall, on Saturday to where the last turf fixture of the Flat season was switched when Doncaster became waterlogged.

The last Flat jockey to sustain life-changing injuries was Freddy Tylicki, who broke his back in a mid-race fall at Kempton in 2016. He was paralysed from the waist down and now requires a wheelchair.

Subsequently, he successfully sued fellow jockey Graham Gibbons for causing his fall through dangerous riding. In June 2020, a British jump jockey, Jacob Pritchard Webb, who had just moved to France, broke his back in a fall at Auteuil and was paralysed from the chest down.

After success over jumps, Lee tasted big-race glory on the Flat on board Trip To Paris in the 2015 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and Alpha Delphini in the 2018 Nunthorpe Stakes at York.