Grand National winning jockey Graham Lee in intensive care after fall

Graham Lee, the Grand National winning jump jockey is in intensive care in a hospital with a serious neck injury after a shocking fall on the all-weather at Newcastle on Friday night.

Lee, 47, who is best known for riding Amberleigh House to victory for Ginger McCain at Aintree in 2004 to give Red Rum’s legendary trainer a record-equalling fourth win in the race, was riding Ben Macdui in the Bet UK Home of the Acca-Fenwa Handicap over five furlongs when he was unseated as the five-year-old emerged from the stalls.

The jockey, who has ridden 47 winners on the Flat this year and switched to the Flat in 2012 because he could do the weights and had been suffering from injuries over jumps, was taken straight to the Royal Victoria Infirmary from the racecourse. It is believed it was the awkwardness of the fall rather than the speed of it which caused the injury.

The Injured Jockeys Fund put out a statement on Saturday which read: “Flat jockey Graham Lee had a fall coming out of the stalls at Newcastle Racecourse yesterday evening. He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle with a neck injury where he is in intensive care. He will undergo further tests today to assess the extent of the injury. We would ask that the family are given total privacy at this time.”

Lee’s ride on Amberleigh House was slightly overshadowed by the fact that it was for McCain ‘Mr Aintree’ but it was a masterclass of patience. It was only his third ride but he had ridden the small gelding the previous year to finish third behind Monty’s Pass so he knew the horse’s capability.

Three horses including the next year’s winner Hedgehunter, Clan Royal and Lord Atterbury went off hard and were still clear of the field when they crossed the Melling Road back onto the racecourse with two to jump.

After being caught up in a melee at Becher’s Brook he was further back than he wanted and Lee still had a lot of ground to make up but while he was relentlessly making up the deficit the front three were, conversely, tiring badly. Indeed Hedgehunter was so tired he fell at the last – the last horse to do so while in contention – and Lee took it up 100 yards out to beat Clan Royal three lengths. Three weeks later he went on to win the Scottish National on Grey Abbey.

Born near Galway racecourse but with no racing background, Lee was initially so light, a fact which played in his favour when he wanted to switch to the Flat, that carrying enough weight was a problem on the jumpers and he had to eat protein to build himself up.

His first winner was at Navan in 1992 and two years later he joined Mary Reveley but his career, hampered by a broken leg, was slow burning and it was 10 years before he began to make an impression when given the first jockey job for Howard Johnson who trained for powerful owner Graham Wylie at the time.

By switching to the Flat he extended his career a good 10 years and he has become one of the stalwarts of the northern Flat scene regularly riding well over 50 winners a year for a variety of trainers.

His biggest wins on the Flat have been Trip To Paris in the Ascot Gold Cup in 2015 and Alpha Delphini in the Nunthorpe Stakes in 2018.